Educational Development of Scheduled Castes in Punjab:An Overview of Educational Development Schemes

Scheduled Castes are the most backward sections of Indian society in term of education development. They constitute the statutorily recognized weaker the sections of society and form a distinct target group the existing patters of planning. Caste and class in India have been the subjects of a long standing and ongoing subjects and class system in India is still relevant in all fronts of life. It is not only manifested in the social discrimination but also in the educational attainment. Indian social system suffers casts from a right system. For centuries caste had been a determining factor in education, work and employment. Education is still mainly open to higher castes. Large section of the population belonging to lower castes were denied education and also access to high income yielding and power impacting occupations. According to census 200, the total population and Punjab is 277,04,236 out of which rural and urban population is 66.08 percent and 33.92 percent, respectively. Literacy rate of Punjab is 76.7 per cent. The Scheduled Castes population in Punjab is 70,28,723 which is 28.85 per cent of the total population. Scheduled Castes make up 33.04 per cent of rural and 28.5 of urban population of Punjab. The literacy rate among Scheduled Castes is 56.22 per cent. It is not education as such which determines one's position; rather it is the social existence of the people which determines accessibility to education. Majority of Scheduled Castes are deprived of better education. Moreover the Scheduled Castes economically weaker have to survive by a hand to mouth existence. Consequently, their level of self perception is low and life is mainly reduced to struggle for survival. It is always been a matter of grave concern for all the Governments of world to improve the socio - economic and educational status of their people. Various social and educational welfare programmes have been being launched to achieve the purpose. In Punjab, various such educational programmes have been started by the Central as well as State Government for the educational welfare of the Scheduled Castes. The paper will throw light on the major Educational Development Schemes for Scheduled Castes in Punjab.