Implementation of National Education Policy, 2020 amongst Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in India: A Critical Study

Abstract

In today’s technologically evolved and scientifically advanced society, education is not a luxury exclusive to some privileged class. Instead, it is a fundamental and basic human right that everyone may exercise, regardless of caste, colour, race, sex, religion, or place of birth. When education is recognised as a human right, it means that the right to education is guaranteed to everyone without any discrimination on any ground whatsoever, that the state is under a legal obligation to respect, protect, and provide access to education, and that the state is subject to legal accountability when the right to education is violated or when access to education is denied. The National Educational Policy 2020 is the third educational policy that the government of India has introduced. The goal of this policy is to implement significant reforms in the education system of the nation in order to raise the literacy rate. Tribal people have their unique way of life, characterised by extreme disadvantages such as poverty, lack of education, and a lack of knowledge. They make their homes in the hills, often wholly or partially isolated from the rest of civilization. The Dhebar Commission designated the least-developed indigenous communities as Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) in 1973. The government of India rebranded the PTGs as the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in 2006. Most PVTGs have common characteristics, such as a relatively small population, a lack of written language, a lack of complex technology, a slower pace of development, and a lack of urban centers. Despite the government’s best efforts, many students cannot benefit from the educational schemes available to them. This paper aims to study the potential impact of the new education policy on the education of PVTGs.