Himalayan Education

The Karuna Trust, together with the Big Lottery Fund, support the “Inclusive Education for Indigenous Minorities in the Indian Himalayas” project. It will be carried out in the 5 Indian Himalayan states, and around 11,000 children and 37,000 villagers will benefit.

The communities here live over 8,000 feet above sea level and insulated as they are amidst the high mountain ranges. They are perceived as culturally inferior by mainstream India, less productive and so are accorded lower priority by the Government.

In education, the overall literacy rate is lower than the national average (65.4%) by more than 20%. Schools lack equipment & supplies, and are staffed by unmotivated teachers from outside the region. During the eight winter months temperatures go down to minus thirty degrees, and snow drifts severely limit access to schools. The curriculum is alien to the communities. The medium of instruction is usually the national language, Hindi, or English while the people of the region speak dialects of Tibetan.

The project has chosen to address education and information in this region since these are key for development to take place. There are two main aims. The first is for children from high altitude Himalayan communities to have increased access to education. This will be done by promoting educationally disadvantaged/excluded groups, including those from remote areas, girl children, children of marginal farmers, and nomadic populations. Year-round educational services will be provided for education of children and a cadre of local teachers will be trained. There will be an increase in primary school attendance among children of remote villages, and improved access to support facilities through Resource Centres, which will comprise libraries, science labs & computer facilities. All of this will lead to a reduction in feelings of exclusion & deprivation and enhancement in confidence levels among children of target groups as a result of improved facilities, opportunities, and information.

The second main aim is for girls and boys of the area to benefit from improved curricula and teaching methods, with access to vocational skills, and a smooth flow into suitable careers. It is intended also that community-based organisations work actively to gain improvements in education, resulting in parents feeling an increased value for education.

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