Bhubaneswar: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) directed the Union ministry of education and Union ministry of tribal affairs to consider implementing a National Tribal Policy to improve educational access and quality of life for tribal children.
Taking note of a complaint filed by Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist, Radhakanta Tripathy, the commission issued an order to the cabinet secretaries of both ministries to address the matter and take necessary action.
“The complainant has drawn the attention of the commission towards the denial of education and human rights violations faced by tribal children in India, citing examples from various states,” reads the NHRC order.
It states that Tripathy highlighted challenges like language barriers, poverty, teacher absenteeism, and poor infrastructure that contribute to high dropout rates. The complainant calls for urgent implementation of National Tribal Policy to improve educational access and quality of life for tribal children, particularly focusing on language, cultural integration, and vocational training.
“It seeks intervention from the ministry of tribal affairs and the ministry of education to address these issues effectively. Let a copy of the complaint be transmitted to the ministries to consider the issues raised by the human rights activist, and ensure the necessary actions,” the commission said.
Tripathy, in the complaint, mentioned an incident in Keonjhar district of Odisha where four sons of Parbati Nayak from Godhuli village could not complete their matriculation due to poverty and lack of educational facilities.
Mentioning another incident from 2024 in Sambalpur, Tripathy described a shocking case of a minor girl becoming pregnant by her boyfriend at an early age, resulting in her being deprived of her education. She was studying in Class 10, Tripathy said.
“In the areas where victims of Salwa Judum reside in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, having left their homes in Chhattisgarh, a large number of tribal children face similar misfortunes of educational deprivation,” the human rights activist noted.
Tripathy, in her complaint, mentioned language barriers, early dropout rates, poor teacher-student ratios, govt policies, teacher-student relationships, the medium of instruction in schools, and more, calling for urgent implementation of the tribal policy.