Education of the Girl Child: A Study of Santhal Dominated Villages of Puruliya, West Bengal

This paper is based on a study conducted in three Santhal dominated villages of Puruliya, one of the most educationally backward districts of West Bengal. It explores the factors that hinder the education of Santhal girls. It was observed that while the enrollment rate of girls was high in Class I, it gradually decreased on progression to higher classes. Factors such as the lack of participation by elected members of local self-government in the school management committee, indifferent attitude of teachers, poor connectivity to schools, lack of professionally qualified teachers, scarcity of water, gender biased attitude of parents, early marriage and migration contributed to the low level of education of Santhal girls. The study suggests some intervention measures at the micro, mezzo and macro levels.