KOCHI: A recent study by the Kochi-based Centre for Socio-Economic & Environmental Studies (CSES) has suggested the creation of a new institution called the `Paditha Veedu' (study house) in each tribal `ooru'/settlement/colony to improve the quality of education of Scheduled Tribe children.

The study has made other suggestions for improving the quality of education for tribal children. The TTC curriculum in districts with tribal concentration should have tribal content.

The study suggests that the continuation of alternative schooling under the Sarva Shikshan Abhiyan (single teacher multi-grade schools) needs to be seriously debated. Teacher appointments in tribal areas should be done with emphasis on tribal preferences. Traditional skills and new soft skills should be transmitted through formal school system. The problem of difference in dialects should be adequately addressed.

The issue of lump sum grant, whether it should be in kind or cash, should be discussed and perhaps a flexible system should be devised.

A tracking of the budget for tribal development indicates that education is the largest single component of the total expenditure on tribal development. The share of education is nearly two-thirds of the non-Plan expenditure for tribal development. In the Plan expenditure, its share is more than one-third. It was also found that an overwhelming share (87 per cent) of the expenditure for tribal education went for pre-matric education. The main heads under which capital expenditure was incurred were Model Residential Schools and tribal hostels. In the total expenditure on tribal education, Centrally-sponsored schemes accounted for 42 per cent.

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