Educational Status of Tharu Community (A Case Study of Narayanpur,VDC, Dang District)

Abstract

Tharu people are indigenous people of the Terai regions of Nepal who aremostly reside on the foothills of theChure and Siwali rang from east to west of Nepal.Tharuare basically agricultural peasant. Tharus population occupies 6.75 percent ofthe total population of Nepal. Mostly Tharu people are found in western Terai ofNepal such as Dung, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchanpur which occupy 30-50percent of the total district population. Tharu people do not have satisfactoryeducational status as well as socio-economic status due various dominate factors. The objective of the study is to find the educational status of Tharu communityand specific objectives are: to identify the status of female education in Tharucommunity, to find the barriers inaccessibility of education in Tharu community andto find out the cases of dropout of Tharu students from school 100 households havebeen selected to met the objective of this study. Household survey and key informantinterview have been used to collect the primary data. The collected data have beenclassified indifferent categories and interpret using simple mathematical device. Out of 100 HHs, males and female respondents are respectively 56 and 44. Ithas been found that 39 percent respondents are literate and 61 percent are illiterate.Majority of the students attend school. Only 12.2 percent students do not attendschool. The main reason of being absence is poor economic condition which accounts32.1 percent. Out to the total students of age group 5-14 years have enrolled ingovernment and private school which accounts respectively 62.2 percent and 37.8percent. The concentration of female in primary education is high. 19.7 percentstudents have dropped out the school out of the total students. Most of the students(53.3%) have dropped out in secondary level. The main cause of dropping school isdomestic work (35.6%). Educational status of Tharu community is not satisfactory due to pooreconomic condition and other several reasons. But the attitude of Tharu communityforward education has been positively changinggradually and enrollment ratio ofTharu students in school has been increasing. Most of the Tharu people have beentrapped in a vicious circle of poverty therefore, it is essential to improve the economiccondition of Tharu propel through various intensive income generating activities