“EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH EDUCATION:PRESENT SCENARIO OF WOMEN

EDUCATION IN TEA-GARDEN AREA OF NORTH BENGAL.”

:Present status of Tribal women in education :

Name-Tamalika Sarkar

2nd sem

Falakata B.ED College

:Abstract:

Education, the major component of human resource development is one of the most important
indicators of socio economic and political development of tribal women of North Bengal tea
gardens. A large proportion of tea plantation workers in North Bengal are still tribal women,
most of whom are illiterate or educationally backward. They do not think of changing their life
style by adopting the occupation of the urban-industrial societies which need modern education.
Non- education, poverty, addiction of males to country beer, poor standard of living, poor health
facility etc. are the common problems in their lives . But , now a day they are also getting
modern education and we now have intellectuals and professionals in various fields. Traditional
values die hard and for that matter role exception of man and woman do not change so easily for
which Tribal woman continue to remain deprived of education above senior primary standard in
comparison to male. A large number of working women in tea garden are of North Bengal is
illiterate or having little formal education, the educated women show a relatively low
participation in the labour force which diminishing their empowerment in society. It is also
observed that the percentage of female literacy rate is decreasing compare to the male
counterpart with the advancement of education in the hierarchical level. The factors responsible
for educational backwardness, prompt measures for its improvement are considered and highly
necessary.Earlier, the planters were less interested in the educational advancement of labour and
their dependents. But at present, both the management and labourers are interested in educational
advancement of the worker’s children. Still, the situation is gloomier among the tea gardens of
North Bengal which are in sick and abandoned condition. As revealed by the data,now an
attempt has been made to have an idea about the level of education among the woman workers of
tea gardens in North Bengal.The Government of India has been implementing various policies to
improve the women’s overall education, literacy rate as well as to reduce the school drop-out
rates Since independence . Some of such educational policies include Mahila Samakhy,
District Primary Education Programme, Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Sarba Siksha Abhijan, National
Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level and various schemes under the
Department of Women and Child Development. Inspite of the various educational policies, high
percentage of illiteracy still exists among women labourers of tea gardens compared to other
occupations.The women are the best agents for bringing about changes in the society and as such
the education of women holds the key to all other elements on which the transformation of the
societies depends.

Keywords: Tea industry, child labours, Dooars region, literacy pattern, literacy development,
social mobility, educational backwardness, women, education, school, development of
education, Female literacy.