Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The Student-teacher Dance


There are moments when I watch my student's dance that I get goose bumps and chills up my spine. And I'm in amazement of their creative "natural state of being".

As a teacher the ability to 'teach' another dancer is a position that I don't take lightly. It is an honor.

In the beginning of my classes most of my students can't wait to get started learning our ancient art form. And for those students who come to me with experience they can't wait to learn something different. When class starts I am always in amazement at the array of talent and enthusiasm in each student.

This is the best time and it is a reminder as to why every year I teach and nurture the aspiring belly dancer to be.

The relationship that develops between a teacher and student in any form of learning is a crucial one. Unfortunately I can't say that all my relationships with my students were the best. Why this happens has been perplexing to me for years. But after years of teaching I often think back remembering some of the interesting situations that have come up with some of my students. Some of these experiences I would like to share with you. Maybe in sharing I will be able to help other teachers out there to see what "not" to do with your students.

The studio that I had a few years ago was a sanctuary for dancers to come in and feel creative and dance freely. This I thought was what everybody wanted who walked through my front door.... well, not quite.

Teaching is one thing but counseling is another. Students would come in and bring in problems, issues, and occasionally bad habits. Now, as a teacher I would give them the best class that I could but eventually I wasn't leaving the studio until late at night because of my "counseling sessions". This was nobody's fault but my own. Well what do you suppose happened? I became involved advising some of my students on issues outside of dance. And eventually these late night talks came back to bite me in my (you know where).

You must first and foremost be their dance teacher...period. As I learned the hard way that is all I was really required to do. But it is hard when a student confides in you to turn your back on her or him and insist that they keep their issues and problems outside the studio. I don't know a dance teacher who is a friend of mine who can do that. We all want our students to be happy because they in a way become an extension of us. But this is unrealistic because our students are individuals when they walk in the front door and they will continue on in life whether they stay with us or not. I found I did not live in a glass house so I needed to stop being "Leyla the advisor".

At one point I have to tell you I really thought I had an invisible sign that read:

"If you are a little odd come to my studio"
One couple came into my studio and brought their marital problems with them every time they had class with me.

You can imagine the sarcastic remarks, snide grimaces, and shocking language that was tossed back and forth across the dance floor.

Another student decided she wanted to become a vampire. (That's a whole other story)
Than there was the student that had two nervous break downs in class to the point I literally had to hold her up and get her to breathing normally as she was crying uncontrollably. She would hold up class for up to 20 minutes.

There was a student who was the tantrum queen if she didn't understand a combination or if she didn't get that "personal" attention. She would go and sulk in the corner until

I told her to get back into class. That was her queue to tell me "no". And she would sit and glare at me throughout the rest of class eventually leaving with a major chip on her shoulder.

Last but not least was the alcoholic dancer who was so "bubbly" in class that she was continually coming on to some of the other students and their spouses. Though, she could never remember any of her inappropriate conduct and was in disbelief when confronted with her actions.

Now, I can't say everybody has had these kinds of situations but what I realized is that people can't help but bring their emotional baggage that they are experiencing in life into class. But there are certain lines that cannot be crossed within a studio. So what did I do with students like the ones I mentioned? It was simple; I asked them to leave the studio. The studio was no longer respected by these students. Mutual respect between teachers and students is a must.

I have had a few students who were disappointed in me because they felt I didn't know as much as they thought I should. This is what I call the "pedestal syndrome". They quickly put me up on a pedestal only to knock me off at the first hint of disappointment. My first experience with the "pedestal syndrome" was when I had an audition at my studio for my students to have a chance to perform with a local band at one of the casinos here in our area. I had informed the girls ahead of time that I would have snacks and drinks including some alcohol so those dancers apprehensive could have a little something to calm their nerves. The head musician came and all went well I thought. He made his choice and thanked me profusely for having the audition and he thanked the girls for dancing for him. But it all landed on deaf ears. The girls who were not picked got very upset and blamed me. They said he was insulting and that they felt like pieces of meat. The two girls that he picked were my newest students and of course they got picked because they flirted with him according to "these" dancers. All in all I was cornered in my own studio and berated because I should have known better and how could I let any of that happen. I was told that I was not the teacher they thought I was. Students took sides and I lost 4 because of the audition.

My first mistake was thinking that these students could handle the disappointment of not being picked. So they were right, I should have known that. The ego is a very fragile and shallow part of the human emotions. It doesn't take much for it to break and for any us to fall apart. I realized at that moment that the dancers who were so quick to put me up on a pedestal were the ones with the most fragile egos. A fragile ego always needs a scapegoat because nobody wants to admit that they weren't good enough. And if they weren't good enough to be picked than it had to be my fault. I was their teacher and I should have done better. This was a great lesson for me because I realized that what I had given my students couldn't be appreciated. They had no guidelines or experience to know that what I did was in the safety of the studio. I knew this because of my auditions I went through over the years. I experienced some really horrible auditions. You can't give to your students what they can't appreciate. They won't respect you for it and you will end up losing them as students.

It's also important to know when to let your students go. There were a few times that my students didn't want to go to other teachers. I insist that my students take from as many teachers as possible because I feel they will progress faster. But there are those students that come to us who complain about other studios and teachers. So as a teacher what do we do? If someone says that you are so nice and so and so is so mean and she would much rather take from you, how do you handle it? It's quite the question because what we say in our dance community will usually get back to the person we talked about. I had a student that came in and told me she had been to many studios and was treated terribly. So I told her stay with me and we'll see how things go. Well low and behold she was telling the other studios how mean I was during the time she was taking classes from me. So she was taking from all of us and telling each teacher how mean the other teachers were. Eventually a student like this leaves because she can't ever be satisfied. She creates chaos because if she fails she can blame all her teachers. You can't take it personal when a student leaves you either in good conditions or bad. Either way we must wish them off on their journey with light and love. This is what our dance is all about.

So what does any of this mean? It means that as long as any of us are willing to teach others this amazing dance form, we will be in the forefront of aspiring belly dancers hopes, dreams,
disappointments and disillusionments. And as long as we continue to learn and grow ourselves we can than become the teachers our students will hold in their hearts as they become the next generation of teachers. And as teachers, what better success can we have than to know that this dance will thrive and grow long after we are gone.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Students Scramble to Find Student Loans as Fall Semester Draws Near

It’s crunch time for college students trying to secure the money they need for the fall semester. But with lenders continuing to suspend their student loan programs — the count now stands at 131 federal loan lenders and 30 private loan lenders — students may find themselves challenged to locate lenders that are still offering federal or private student loans.

 

 

 

In an attempt to help lenders be able to continue making new federal student loans, the government included a provision in the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act, signed into law in May, aimed at providing capital for cash-strapped lenders.

 

 

Under this legislation, the Department of Education can buy federal college loans from lenders, thereby providing these lenders with the liquidity they need to continue funding new parent and student loans. The law specifically targets lenders who, in the current credit crunch, are unable to find investors in the secondary market willing to purchase their student loan portfolios.

 

 

 

Even with this legislation in place, however, lenders continue to find themselves forced to suspend their student loan programs. As recently as July 28, the Brazos Higher Education Service Corp., the 26th-largest originator of federal student loans in 2007, and the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, the largest student loan issuer to Massachusetts residents, both announced that they would no longer be able to provide either new or current borrowers with student loans.

 

 

 

As the suspensions of both federal and private student loan programs keep spreading through all types of lenders — large and small; for-profit and nonprofit; banks, non-banks, and credit unions; state loan agencies and schools-as-lenders — students and their families are finding themselves with fewer borrowing options to get the parent and student loans they need to pay the fall tuition bills that are coming due over these next few weeks.

 

 

 

Two Major Lenders the Latest Casualties of Student Loan Crisis

 

 

 

The Brazos Group, a primarily nonprofit group of higher education lending, servicing, and other financial aid companies, first announced that it would stop offering federal college loans back n March. In May, however, after the government passed the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act, Brazos once again began offering federal parent and student loans, saying that the government’s short-term liquidity plan had renewed the organization’s confidence in its ability to continue offering student loans.

 

 

 

But Brazos once again suspended its education lending program late last month, citing continued turmoil in the student loan industry.

 

 

 

Brazos Executive Vice President Ellis Tredway said his organization simply “ran out of time to get everything in place” to issue new student loans for the fall.

 

 

 

The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, which issued more than $500 million in college loans to 40,000 Massachusetts college students and their families last year, had already suspended its federal student loan program in April. Now, MEFA has also pulled the plug on its non-federal private loan program, which provided Massachusetts students with fixed-rate private student loans.

 

 

 

“While we continue to pursue every possible option, raising the necessary funds to offer fixed–interest rate private education loans is taking longer than originally projected and has become even more challenging,” said Tom Graf, MEFA’s executive director.

 

 

 

Students Face the Uncertainty of Switching Lenders

 

 

With over 8 million students and parents having turned to federal college loans in 2006–07, according to the College Board, the number or families that stand to be affected by the ongoing wave of lender departures this year is not unsubstantial.

 

 

Last week, financial aid officers at Texas A&M University — a school with over 54,000 students — heard from seven different lenders warning that they would no longer be able to offer federal student loans, a situation that has made more than a few borrowers uneasy.

 

 

 

Dyneche Duffield, an incoming college student headed to Houston Baptist University, is uncomfortable with the prospect of having to establish a relationship with a new lender other than her local bank, which used to offer student loans.


“I would have much rather taken out a loan there than somewhere where I didn’t know anyone,” Duffield said.

 

 

 

While students like Duffield may still be able to go directly to the Department of Education for their federal college loans or find those remaining lenders who are still offering private student loans (albeit with more stringent credit criteria that are making it harder for students to qualify), the magnitude of the problem within the student loan credit markets and how deeply it has permeated the college loan industry is alarming to many administrators and officials in higher education.

 

 

 

Kathryn Osmond, executive director of student financial services at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, finds the situation with MEFA to be particularly indicative of a long-lasting and serious problem.

 

 

“An economy that is in such a tailspin that it affects a critical agency like MEFA,” said Osmond, “is an economy that scares me.”

 

 

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Guaranteed Money With These 8 Types of Student Loans

Holy Cow, I had no idea there were so many different types of student loans available to the high school graduate. This guide will reveal the 8 different types of student loans you can chose from, as well as the positives/negatives of each and the little secrets we found out that will help you decide which types of student loans are right for your situation.

The 8 Types of Student Loans:
 
*Federal Stafford Loan (2 types: subsidized-unsubsidized)
*Federal PLUS Loan (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students)
*Federal Perkins Loans
*Bank Loans
*State Loans
*Additional Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
*Other types of loans
  military
  work place
  college
** College Board Extra Credit Loan

Before you run out and start looking for different types of student loans understand that you are not eligible for any student loans until you have first completed and submitted your application to FAFSA.  Once they send you your Student Aid Report (SAR) then you can start looking for the best student loans available for you and your child.  Let's dig into the different types of student loans.

* Federal Stafford Loan - Subsidized:  the most popular and cost effective student loans available.  These are government guaranteed loans for both undergraduate and  graduate students.  It's really hard to beat these interest rates.

***Student Loans Secrets***

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 determined the following fixed interest rates on Stafford loans.  These rates are for subsidized loans to undergraduate students.

6.0% for the 2008-09 school year
5.6% for the 2009-10 school year
4.5% for the 2010-11 school year
3.4% for the 2011-12 school year
returns back to 6.8% for the 2012-13 school year.

My wife was eligible for this loan, however it was not enough to cover expenses so she had to pursue additional sources.  My son was not eligible for a subsidized loan, hterefore he had to get an unsubsidized loan.  And, we will have to reapply with FAFSA in January for both of them.

* Federal Stafford Loan - Unsubsidized: this can be a long term low interest rate loan. Right now the rate is 6.8%.  Those students who don't qualify for the subsidized loan almost always can get this loan.  In some cases you can postpone interest payments, but usually the interest on the loan is the borrower's responsibility.  We have chosen to make the payments monthly ($7.92) to keep the overall cost of the loan at a minimum.

Unsubsidized Stafford Loan - This loan is long-term, non-need-based, with a low-interest rate. This type of student loans is best for students who don't qualify for other types of financial aid, or who still need more money in addition to other forms of financial aid. Almost all household incomes qualify, and "unsubsidized" means that the student must begin making payments after the grace period.  There are several cases where students have negotiated the removal of interest payments until after graduation.epaying until after grace period.

***Student Loans Secrets***

Talk to your lending institution and ask for a monthly withdrawal on these interest payments.  We set this up with our son's account and we are paying his interest payments only and he is responsible for the principal. Our monthly interest payments of $10 a month not only cover the interest but the remainder is applied towards the principal.  As you will find out, if your loan is for $1000 by the end of college that loan is probably in the neighborhood of $1300 or more.  Add these loans up over several years and it becomes a large chunk of money to have to pay back.

* Federal PLUS Loan - for parents of undergraduates
Basically the parent may take out a loan for their students college expenses.  You can borrow the total cost of their education, get low interest rates and a decent tax break.  Unique with this loan is the ability to overcome poor credit history.  Basically this type of student loan has no ceiling on income levels or how many assets you have. 

***Student Loans Secrets***

You can negotiate the repayment schedule by either starting your payments after the 60-90 days you received the money or after your child graduates.

*Federal Perkins Loans -  normally these loans are awarded to students who have financial difficulties.  The funds available are limited but they are low interest loans. Interest does not start to accrue until 9 months after you graduate or you drop below half time status.  It is best to seek advice of your college financial aid adviser who can direct you in the right direction.

***Student Loans Secrets***

Federal Perkins Loans are reported to your credit bureau, which means it could damage your credit rating if you are late on payments or default on your loan.  Know what you are getting into and if you are a student, start thinking about the future and don't live in the present.  This is serious stuff.  Do it right and you have an instant EXCELLENT credit rating.

*Bank Loans - the only reason you would pursue this route is if you are turned down by the federal government.  These loans are usually a little higher in interest rates and each bank has different criteria you must fit meet.  It's best to shop around your local area to see what is available before you hit the internet. Some banks do offer Stafford Loans, but they are more strict on their policies.

***Student Loans Secrets***

They might limit their loans to full time students, repayment options are probably gonna be more limited, and they might offer some incentives on repayments. The most common is an interest rate reduction if you use automatic withdrawal.  Here is what we learned from one institutional Bank:

U.S. Bank supplemental loans...

Their student loans are credit based and they just want to make sure your loan is not covered by another type of financial aid.  The power of your cosigner and your credit history will help you qualify more easily for a loan and reduced interest rates.  They offer deferment which means you don't have to make payments on the loan or interest rates.  There are no application fees and you can easily learn within 15 minutes or so after submitting your online application if you qualify or not.

*State Student Loans - most states offer a guaranteed student loan.  These funds are administered by a bank which means you will need to apply for the loans through a bank.

***Student Loans Secrets***

These loans are usually more expensive to borrow from than your federal student loans.

*Additional Unsubsidized Stafford Loan - These types of student loans are determined by the federal guidelines and are reserved for borrowers who fall into the "independent category.

*Other types of loans - as a dependent you may qualify for student loans if your parents work place offers them.  The military is another good source for student loans, especially if they are currently serving. However, it is not limited to currently serving, if your parent ever served in the armed forces you should explore these opportunities.  Other places to explore are colleges and larger corporations or businesses.  Talk to your financial aid rep's at college, they have a lot of underground tactics they don't normally share with the public but will share with you.

* College Board Extra Credit Loan - AMS or Academic Management Services is affiliated with around 2000 various universities.  They will pay your tuition fees but the catch is you have to repay those fees within a year or less.  These can be expensive and it is usually explored in dire emergencies.

You just read the top 8 types of student loans. Each has it's benefits and each has some drawbacks.  The last Student Loan Secret we will leave you with has not really been discussed above and it might be the best thing you'll need to remember.

Start shopping for interest rates, loan fees and repayment schedules.  Interest rate shopping in useless if you are after a government loan, because they are fixed, however private lenders are the ones to be very careful of before you sign on the dotted line.  Private lenders do have discounts so make sure and ask them point blank what they are.

There will be a time when you will need to consider consolidating your student loans.  Until then, try hard to pay as much out of pocket money as you can afford to reduce your debt burden once you graduate from college.  Right now focus on which types of student loans best fits you and your family.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Study the Dimensional Problem of Tribal Students in India With Special Reference to Kerala State

INTRODUCTION

 

Education, is a modern word, which is derived from the Latin word 'educase', means to nourish, to cause to grow (Patel: 1991 : viii). Education also prevails in illiterate societies, where it is imparted orally and by mass behavior. A member of primitive society learns to earn his livelihood, to do good works, to obey spiritual beings and also superstitions etc from the elders of the society and bind by its laws and regulations. These are the education for them. We the modern people do mean "education as reading and writing. This is also true. By modern education a person can able to increase his knowledge and expand his vision and avail the fruits or development. Hence modern education can play the role of "Catalyst" in bringing sea changes in the sphere of social, political, economic fields. One of the important reasons for failure of development activities in the society by various developmental agendas is the prevalence of acute illiteracy and ignorance, combined with superstitions among the rural masses. Hence to ward off economic backwardness, social deprivation spreading of education is regarded as one of the most effective and forward-looking instruments (Patel: 1991:26). Another reason of failure of education is superstition among the tribal. Superstitions like "reading would make their eyes drop out of their sockets" etc. is also responsible for not spreading of education, so no remarkable progress could be achieved within next 10 years (Behera : 1984:76). Accordingly O.J. Millman, a Baptist Missionary set up a school in 1914 at Gudripadi near G.Udayagiri (Boal : 1963: 61). As Government experienced, acute caste discrimination prevailing among the students as well as parents, the Govt. was forced to set up separate schools for ST and SC students. Lord Dalhousie, the then Viceroy of British India appointed Mr. Charles Wood who was the Chairman of Board of Controll on 19th July 1853 to review the progress of education in India and to suggest way-out for its improvement and to frame new laws and regulations. Accordingly, he had submitted his report in the year 1854, which was known as Woods' Dispatch. As such post of Director of Public Instructions was created in Bombay, Bengal and in Madras presidency

 

exclusively to look after development of education. As suggested in Wood's Dispatch, the medium of instruction should be in mother language. Another Commission was also set up for reformation and development of education in the year 1882, known as Hunter Commission. Lord Curzon organized an all India conference in the year 1901 at Simla to review the progress and to find out faults in education, which was the first conference in India in the history of education. The proceedings of the said conference were published in 1904, which was known as Curzon's Proclamation. That proclamation was an important document where emphasis was given regarding Syllabus, appointment of teachers and monetary assistance to schools and the importance of the provincial Governments to promote mass education. Administrative reformation law by Montague Chelmsford was published in the year 1919, where complete responsibility was laid down for education on provincial Governments. Hence Education Act of Madras Presidency was framed in 1920. Accordingly financial assistance was provided with to schools regularly and special responsibility was also given to District Boards and Local Boards. Again Hartog Commission was set up in 1929 where emphasis was given to promote mass education and to eradicate wastage and stagnation problem Christian Missionaries also took an important role for development of education in backward classes of this district.  Missionaries also created awareness among the tribal towards education. Schools were also set up for ST and SC students by tribal Welfare department of Government after independence.  Secondly, ignorance and superstitions play a major set back for spread of education in the district. People of the remote area are superstitious and addicted to blind beliefs. So they do not understand the value of education. Thirdly, a vital reason for the drop out problem of tribal students is their prevailing cultural process and life style, which hardly creates conducive environment for spreading of education.

 

The poverty of tribal people doesn't permit them to keep clean their home environment. They don't get nutritious food. So tribal children often fall ill. The parents could not treat them timely due to economic scarcity. So they suffer for a long period. During suffering the child remains absent from school and after recovering from illness he loses his appetite for study. However there are few other reasons, which may also be responsible for drop-out

 

 

 

                             The tribal are the children of nature and their lifestyle is conditioned by the eco-system. India due to its diverse ecosystems has a wide variety of tribal population. Tribes people constitute 8.14% of the total population of the country, numbering 84.51 million (2001 Census). There are 697 tribes notified by the Central Government under Article 342 of the Indian Constitution with certain tribes being notified in more than one State. More than half the Scheduled Tribe population is concentrated in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Jharkhandand Gujarat whereas in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Pondicherry and Chandigarh no community has been notified as a Scheduled Tribe. Due to isolation, unawareness and exploitation tribes in India facing economic and social problems. They live generally in inhospitable terrain   where productivity of soil is low and their hamlets are found in forest areas along with the hill streams., India has the largest concentration of tribal population in the world .A tribe is a group comprising families, alone, or generation having its own customs, occupying a specific geographic territory and being independence of or having little contact with the dominant national society of the country in which they live.. Tribals of our country (India) resides in such a territory, which is marked by the presence of hills, forest, islands, mountains, seacoasts etc. They live in a special geographical territory. That is why, some scholars see tribe as a territorial group. Tribals have to face a number of problems due to their isolated residences situated in remote areas. But they are closely and emotionally related to their lands and forest. There are no communications facilities between the various isolated tribal group as well as between the tribal and the world at large. They accept all outsiders in their territory that create more problem than benefits to the tribal communities.  Due to exploitation from various stakeholders tribals are now facing a lot of problems .For promoting the welfare of schedule tribes and for rising the level of administration of schedules and tribal areas to the state level, Article 275 of the constitution provides grants in aid from consolidated fund of India to states for implementation of developmental programmes. And the article lies down as a Directive Principle of State Policy that the State should promote, with special care, the education and economic interest of the weaker sections.  The 10th Five Year Plan envisages a slightly different approach in Kerala. As far as Tribals development is concerned Tribals own neighborhood groups [Oorukoottams] are formed as basic units for the formulation and implementation of TSP and other Tribals Development Programmes. A new approach and strategies for the sustainable development of tribals in Kerala. In view of this the following suggestions are made. Top most priority should be given to elimination of poverty and reduction of unemployment among the tribals. Majority of the tribal population does not still enjoy the basic standards of Good life. Elimination of poverty requires macro as well as micro strategies. For this there have to be separate component plan for Scheduled Tribes and the disabled including family specific plans for improving quality of life as well as protecting and upgrading the land resources, value addition to the non-timber Forest Produce, high quality education, proper health, social security support etc. No conventional institutional options have to be tried out in the case of education, health, and economic development and so on where NGO's with good track record could play a positive role. Preservation of tribal culture and fostering of their traditional knowledge have to be ensured hand in hand with their empowerment and all round socio-economic development. The Draft Comprehensive Master Plan prepared by the Government should be implemented in a time bound manner with greater emphasis on the primitive tribal groups with stress on Education; Land based Development, Implementation of Protective measures with added legal support etc. It is commitment of the State Government to distribute land to all landless tribals and to rehabilitate them in a phased manner and to help them to sustain their land. High priority should be given to the construction of Houses, electrification, Drinking Water, Sanitation facilities etc. The future tribal educational programmes would aim at primary and secondary educational facilities to all ST students through Institutions like MRS, centre of excellence, etc. Strengthening of pre-primary education with adequate nutritional care, merit up gradation programmes for equipping the ST students for appearing various Entrance Examinations and Civil Services Examinations, more emphasis on technical education including Information Technology, revision of mess charges on the tribal hostels etc., are major strategies proposed. The priority / thrust areas envisaged for the future Tribal Development are:

 

. Provision of minimum needs to the poor STs aimed at systematic human resource development so as to enable the youths to seek employment., All landless tribals / marginal farmers among the tribals are to be provided with cultivable land depending on availability and implement sustainable development programmes.; Micro enterprises would be promoted among tribal women through Kudumbashree.; Tribal Sub-Plan programmes will be integrated with anti-poverty sub-plan. ;Socio-Economic development programme for the benefit of poorest of the poor to bring them above poverty line.; Ensuring of high quality education to tribal students.; Pre-primary education and residential education will be strengthened further;. The existing tuition scheme will be modified to cater to the needs of all tribal students; Programmes for assisting dropouts and improving enrolment will be formulated; All Houseless families will be given houses in a phased manner.;. The rate of Scholarships [Lump sum grant / stipend etc] will be revised frequently; The problems of tribal families living within forest areas will be solved in collaboration with forest department.; Health care facilities will be strengthened by improving existing Health Extension Programmes in tribal areas tie-up with Health Department;.  High priority for the completion of pre-metric hostels and improving of their infrastructure facilities and revision of mess charges etc.  Massive awareness and literacy programmes with involvement of NGOs will be organised in the tribal areas; Programmes aimed at improving the brilliance of talented ST students will be formulated and implemented.; Training programmes such as IT Training will be arranged for the tribal students and programmes for ensuring jobs for tribals in the IT sector will be formulated.; The participation of the tribals in the industrial sector, even in the small scale and traditional sector is virtually nil. To change this situation suitable strategies can be formulated, the socio-economic conditions of the communities like Adiya, Paniya, Primitive Tribes, Hill Pulayan, Malapandaram etc., are very pathetic. In view of this specific, exclusive programmes can be chalked out for the development of these communities.,The problems of the families living in tribal rehabilitation projects like Sugandhagiri, Pookot Dairy Project, Attapady Cooperative farming society etc., will be solved with the participation of these families., It is proposed to give Health Insurance coverage to all backward tribal families in a phased manner., Remoteness is one hurdle, which prevents the overall and comprehensive development of tribals. This eludes the tribals from the infrastructural needs such as road, drinking water, electrification, hospital facilities, educational facilities etc. A comprehensive plan can be formulated to solve these problems.

 

.Plan State Schemes

 

,Schemes for providing better educational facilities to bright ST students., Bharath /Kerala Darshan programme to ST Students, Post -metric hostels for Tribal Students., Training On Information Technology,  Post-Metric Scholarship, Vocational Training Institutes, Award of Research Fellowship in various aspects of Tribal Development, Up gradation of merits of ST students, Special Incentive to Brilliant Students, Repairs and Maintenance of Tribal Hostel., Construction of Hostels for Boys and Girls., Purchase of Land for construction of hostels., Running and construction of 18 Model Residential/Ashram Schools., Grants to High school going SSLC/Plus-2 failed students for studying in tutorial

 

Methodology

 

A questionnaire was designed to capture data on various parameters. The data collected for this study by asking question from tribal students, tribal parents and authorities one who responsible for the development of tribal communities.

 

 Sample selection: This study has its focus on students defined as tribal. All students under the "below poverty line (BPL)" family category fell into our focus population. It is not our intention to debate the methodology adopted by the state in defining the tribal.  As the idea of the study is to look at what are the problem faced by tribal students from various stakeholders. This is based on the presumption that the findings would be used

 

for developing educational status of tribal people. We wanted to base the study in some of the most backward districts in India, the choice of Wayanad was made purposively. The selection of wayanad was driven not only by its general backwardness, but also the geographical backgrounds. Wayanad district stand first in the case of adivasi population (about 36%) among other district in the state.

Design of questionnaire: For collecting data, a detailed questionnaire was designed, with a view to capture education of tribal students.. The base data were the various problems faced by the students regarding their education from within the family and outside the family. Although the questionnaire was not divided into different stages, each question collected specific information.

 

Objectives: The important objectives of our study are-

 

1          To understand the problem of tribes students through empirical analysis.

 

2          To study the problem of students with in the family and outside the family.

 

3          To provide suggestion to different stake holders for developing tribal education

EDUCATION

 

 

 

The level of education is often viewed as an indicator of the the development of any country. Earlier, the welfare activities in the state for tribals mostly concentrated on educational programmes. Economic development of these communities leading to the creation of substantial assets and ownership of instruments of production through income generating training programmes received attention only from the sixth five-year plan period Traditionally  education has played a conservative role in relation the social process . A large portion of population has not allowed by the upper caste to recive education tribal are not exception to this, therefore the last five decade education became the monopoly of higher caste people. During the British period nothing much was done to improve Indian education system. The development of education during the post independence period has been conditioned by the natural goals and aspiration as enshrined in our constitution. Several committees and commission were formed to increase the educational status of nation. Large number of educational institution were opened in rural and tribal areas for spreading of education among the ST. Compared to the general educational level the status of tribal education is far below A number of schemes and incentives such as scholarship, free residential facilities, free books, and above all reservation of seats in educational institutions were introduced and implemented. These are the facilities provided by the government to ST but their problem still continuing. What is their problem? Is it social or economic or any others…

 

.. The main reason for the low level of education among tribes is the peculiar nature of their habitations. The social and economic conditions prevailing in the tribal settlements are not conducive for better education. Lack of sufficient educational institutions in tribal areas, poverty, inability to catch the children from pre-primary level, lack of nutritional and health care programmes, poor enrolment and drop out from high education etc., curtain the effective educational development among Scheduled Tribes. Moreover, the parents of the tribal children being generally illiterate cannot insist on their children attending classes regularly. In order to improve education among Scheduled Tribes, the primary efforts should be on eradication of poverty. The parents of the tribal children have to be provided with regular employment for earning income to meet their day-to-day requirements, which will help to send their children to school. Scheduled Tribe students have to be provided with boarding and lodging. Opening of more crèches/ Balwadies/ Nursery Schools, in tribal areas will not only promote early childhood education, but also lessen the burden of elder children in looking after the younger as and when the parents go for work. Lack of teachers in remote areas, general failure of tuition schemes, lack of skill development etc., are certain priority issues in the field of tribal education. A study made by the ST development department revealed that nearly 10% of the tribal habitats are very remote and lack even primary school facility with in a radius of 2 Kms. In fact the position has improved to some extent during the past 9 year's time. However the school facilities in primitive tribal areas are poor; 71.95% of the PTGs are lacking School facilities within 1 KM area. The state has started multi-learning centres and single teacher schools for improving primary & pre-primary education in remote tribal areas. But the functioning of the Anganwadies in these areas needs further strengthening and proper improvement. In the 10th plan, the tribal educational programmes would aim at primary and secondary educational facilities for all eligible ST students especially those living in remote areas [main objectives is improvement of enrolment rates and arresting of drop out rates] improved facilities for high quality education and research for talented ST  students; centres of Excellence etc., strengthening of pre-primary education with adequate nutritional care, merit up-gradation programmes for equipping the ST students for appearing various entrance examinations and civil services examinations; more emphasis on technical education including Information Technology, restructuring of the present tuition programmes for failed as well as regular ST students. A thorough rejuvenation of tribal hostels necessary by improving the Academic qualification for wardens and cooks etc. High priority will be given for the completion of pre-metric hostels. Scheduled Tribes form one of the most backward sections of our country. Though there has been a gradual increase in their literacy rates since independence, the present position is far from satisfactory. On an average, the difference between the literacy rate of the General category and that of STs has been around 20%. Though it is a fact that literacy rate among tribals has gone up yet the decadal rate of growth of literacy is very slow as compared to the literacy rate of the general population. The literacy rate has increased by 6.78% in the decade 1971-81 and

 

16.00% during 1981-91 for the general population but in the case of Scheduled Tribes, the literacy rate has risen by 5.05% and 13.25% only for the period 1971-81 and 1981-

 

91 respectively. The gap between literacy rates of general population and STs has increased from 20% in 1981 to 23% in 1991. The literacy position is more unsatisfactory

 

in case of ST females, which is only 18.19% as against 39.23% for non SC/ST women

 

i.e. 8 out of every 10 ST women are illiterate. The difference (about 17%) in drop out rate is almost at the same level for Primary Education for the years 1980-81 and 1988-89, while for Middle Education it is about 14%. For Secondary Education, the drop out has increased from 9% to 11% for Scheduled Tribes as compared to the general population. So the rate of dropouts still remains much higher than the General population. At the Higher Education level, the participation of STs amounts to only 3.9% as against their population percentage of 8.08%. The enrolment ratios of ST girls and boys have continued to show a progressive trend along with the rest of the population. The other revealing factor was the better pace of progress maintained by STs at primary level (43.0%) over SCs (29.7%), especially that of ST girls (49.0%) over SC girls (37.3%) during 1981 to 1996. Above all, the overall progress made by STs in terms of enrolment ratios at primary and middle levels between 1980-81 and 1995-96 has been impressive, and they could be much better than the general population. Like all other sectors of socio-economic life, educationally the tribal people are at different levels of development but on the whole formal education has made very little impact on tribal groups. In the light of the previous efforts it is not shocking because prior to 1950, the Government of India had not direct programme for the education of the tribals. With the adoption of the constitution, the promotion of education of Scheduled Tribes has become a special responsibility of the Central as well as the State Governments. The rate of education among the tribals is not very encouraging.

Factors affecting Tribal Education

Attitude of Other Students: Attitude of other student is one of the important factors for the promotion of tribal student's higher education ie, environment factor is one of the crucial factors for the development. The negative attitude we can reflected in  university and other higher educational centre mainly located in big cities.

 

Social Factors: More allocation of funds and opening of schools do not go far in providing education to the tribals. Formal education has not been necessary for the members of tribal societies to discharge their social obligations. Hence they should be prepared to accept education and it should be presented to them in such a way as to cut the barriers of superstition and prejudice. There is still a widespread feeling among the tribals that education makes their

 

boys defiant and insolent and alienates them from the rest of their society, while the girls

 

turn modern or go astray. Since some of their educated boys felt alienated and cut off their bonds with their families and villages after getting education and good employment. Some of the tribal groups vehemently oppose the spread of education in their midst. Besides, some of their superstitions and myths also play their part. Some tribal groups believe that their gods shall be angry if they send their children to schools run by 'outsiders'.

 

Economic Factors: Some economic factors too are responsible for lack of interest shown by the tribal people in getting education. Since most of the tribal people are living in poverty, it is not easy for most of them to send their children to schools.

 

Lack of Interest in Formal Education: In many states tribal children are taught through the same books which from the curriculum of non-tribal children of the urban and rural areas of the rest of the state. Obviously, the content of such books rarely appeals to the tribal children who come from different cultural backgrounds. Under the traditional tribal set up a child enters adulthood with confidence. He knows his environment thoroughly, knows how to construct his own house, cultivate his field, weave his cloth; in short he acquires all the skills to lead a reasonably comfortable life within the limitations of his culture. The simple skill of reading and writing acquired in an over formal school is no match for this. We cannot afford to push him back to his environment naked. Therefore, a curriculum should be framed in the welfare of tribal people. Certain tribal activities like agriculture, dancing, hunting, tribal games and archery must be allowed to find fullest expression in the extra-curricular activities of the school, thus providing some continuity of the traditional values and forms of organization. A scheme is to be worked out through which the school children will be able to link up the school and the teacher with their parents and the tribal activities. The school has to act as a centre of dispersal of simple technical know-how beyond the skills of reading and writing to become an effective agent of social change. This student-teacher-parent continuum should be able to generate a congenial atmosphere, so that the broad purpose of education, which is to enable an average citizen to comprehend the social, political, economic and other processes and forces around him, is fully served.

 

Suitable Teachers: Lack of suitable teachers is one of the major reasons for the slow growth of education in tribal areas. Most of the teachers employed for imparting education to the tribal children show little appreciation of tribal way of life and value system. They approach tribal people with a sense of superiority and treat them as 'savage and uncivilized' and hence fail to establish proper rapport with their students. The Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes Commission's report says that a teacher in the tribal areas must have a thorough knowledge of tribal life and culture. He must speak tribal language. Only so can he be in a position to act as a friend, philosopher and guide to the tribal people. Actually the gulf between teachers and taught can be best reduced by appointing teachers from the tribal community itself or a separate cadre of teachers for tribal areas, with some inducements, should be created to serve the educational needs of the tribal society.

 

Lack of Facilities: One of the major problems in tribal education is that of language. Most of the tribal languages and dialects are in the most rudimentary stage and there is hardly any written literature. Most of the states impart education to tribal and non-tribal children alike through the medium of the regional language, which makes the education uninteresting and also hurts tribal sentiments.

 

Nature of habitat: Most of the tribal villages are scattered. This entails long travels to attend schools. Unless the school situated very close to their villages and its site approved by the local people the result shall not be encouraging. School building also plays an important role in the growth of education among the tribal folk. Due to mismanagement, bungling and sometimes financial constraints, the building and sometimes-financial constraints, the building is seldom suitable to run an educational institution.

 

Number of teachers: Most of the primary schools run in the tribal areas are "Single teacher-managed whose presence in the school is more an exception than a rule". The enthusiasm of tribal people in the education of their children also depends considerably on the timing of school hours in different seasons. It should not clash with their important socio-economic activities.

 

To many observers of the situation, the problem of education in tribal areas is the problem of wastage. It is not that wastage and stagnation are peculiar to the tribal communities alone but the extent of wastage is much larger in their case. The problem of

 

Absenteeism is a serious one in tribal areas. One sees a large number of students on the rolls but the actual attendance is really low, and the number of students passing out at the final examination is even lower. The real problem is to create such economic conditions as could be conducive to the students developing sufficient interest in their studies. Education being the most effective instrument of empowering the Socially Disadvantaged Groups, all out efforts should be made to improve the educational status of these groups, especially that of the women and the Girl Child. In fact, the educational backwardness, prevalent amongst these people, necessitates an added thrust on their education, training and skill up gradation, as it will bring forth not only social empowerment but also economic empowerment.

 

Environment of family: Surrounding or environments is one of the importance factors influence for the development of a person generally and particularly in educational development. Most of the tribal parents are agricultures and labours; they have little knowledge relating to modern world and modern environment. Their environment narrows that created narrow mentality. And most of tribal fathers are addicts to alcoholic and other beverage items that creating some problem in mentally and economically end result students will fail exams.

 

Communication: Communication one of the key factor affecting the development of tribal education.  Due to isolation tribal facing problem for expressing modern and regional languages.  For understanding tribal language very difficult generally in the case of society and particularly in teachers. So the students facing problem for discussing their doubt with teachers. So their doubt continuing and automatically tribal students became the last in the class.

 

Cooperation from Stake Holders: Cooperation is essentials for promoting education in the case of tribal students. Their funds are flowing a number of persons hand and at last that amount will get students hands. The delay of funds creating problem, so the respective authorities need to be responsible for providing funds at right time at right hand.  And at last but not least the success of tribal education is completed only after getting the cooperation and help from their classmates.

 

Conclusion

 

Article 46 of the Indian constitution stress to promote the ST and SC people with special care in the educational and economic establishment. The spread of education among the ST during the last four decade has been quite uneven. Ignorant and illiteracy among tribals should be minimized and rooted out, by providing proper education and awareness programme. Government should make available adequate grants for education of tribal. To improve the educational and economic status of the tribal, opportunities for basic and adult education with training leading to better employment should be provided. Hostel facilities to tribal students should be surveyed and improved. Tribal welfare department may design and launch new programmes to generate employment opportunities for tribals. The Director of Employment and Training may provide effective career guidance service to the tribal students so as to help them to make a self assessment of these abilities, aptitudes and plan for the career... Ensuring of high quality education to tribal students. Pre-primary education and residential education will be strengthened further. The existing tuition scheme will be modified to cater to the needs of all tribal students. Programmes for assisting dropouts and improving enrolment will be formulated.All Houseless families will be given houses in a phased manner. The rate of Scholarships [Lump sum grant / stipend etc] will be revised frequently. High priority for the completion of pre-metric hostels and improving of their infrastructure facilities and revision of mess charges etc. Massive awareness and literacy programmes with involvement of NGOs will be organized in the tribal areas. Programmes aimed at improving the brilliance of talented ST students will be formulated and implemented. Training programmes such as IT Training will be arranged for the tribal students and programmes for ensuring jobs for tribals in the IT sector will be formulated. For applying schemes at right time, right place and right manner the government and respective authorities' cooperation.  And at last but most for developing education in tribal communities the balanced relationship between other students and teachers is essentials

Suggestion

Education is the most effective instrument for ensuring equality of opportunity; keeping in view of this assumption the Government has been making several efforts to education by extending special educational facilities and reservation of seat in educational institutions. But the development of education is one of the important problems in the case of tribals. For solving that problem I like to express some suggestions.

 

1 Proper awareness campaign should be organized to create the awareness and the importance of education.

 

2 Educated tribal youth should be recruited as a teacher and posted in tribal areas.

 

3 The attitude of the tribal parents toward education should be improved through proper counseling and guidance.

 

4 Teacher buildup and maintain close relationship for the development of tribal students.

 

5 Vocational institutes should be implemented for the tribal students for creation of new avenues.

 

6 Administration of incentives need to be streamlined so that the students may avail all the facilities at proper time.

 

7 Higher level officials should check the functioning of schools frequently relating to the teaching methods, working hours, days of the school and attendance registers.

 

8 Establish separate residential school for each districts and extended up to PG level.

 

9 Residential facilities with all amenities should be provided to teachers and other staffs.

 

10 Merits scholarship, attendance scholarship, and more incentives in the form of grant allocated to uniform, books, learing materials, midday meals, supply of sports equipments.

References

1 Ambhasht N K"Tribal Education Scope and Constraint" Yogana January 26. 1994.

2 Sachchidandanda   1967 Socio Economic Uspects of Tribal education Report of national seminar New Delhi.

3 Joshi N D Adult education and development Tribal Education in India Vol. 1782.

4 Khan Q U 1972 Wastage in India School Education. Institute of Applied man Power, New Delhi.

5 Chattopandhaya K P Tribal Education Man in India Vol 33 1953.

6 Geetha B Language and schooling of tribal children issues related to medium of instruction Economic & Political Weekly October 1995.

7 Kundu M Tribal Education in India- some problem in Tribal transformation in India edited by Buddhadeb Chaudhuri. Inter India publication, New Delhi 1985.

8 Madan T N Education of Tribal India Eastern Anthropologist 1952

9 Mathur P R G Tribal Education in Kerala in tribal transformation in India edited by Buddhadeb Chaudhuri. Inter India publication, New Delhi 1985

10 Morab S G 1984 Soliga in Tribal Education in India edited by P K D Gupta and A K Danda. 1984.

11 Nuna S C Regional Disparities in Educational Development, South Asian Publication New Delhi 1993.

12 Radha S N Literacy in tribal India An evaluation in tribal transformation in India. edited by Buddhadeb Chaudhuri. Inter India publication, New Delhi 1982.

13 Varghese N V School quality and student learing- A Study of primary schooling in Kerala NIEPA  New Delhi.1994

14 Sujatha K Review of Research on Tribal Education published paper on seminar research on Tribal Education 1996 NIEPA New Delhi.1994

15 Radha S N Literacy in tribal literacy in India An evaluation in tribal transformation in India. Edited by Buddhadeb Chaudhuri. Inter India publication, New Delhi 1985

 

Sunday, January 11, 2009

No Credit Check Student Loans: Good Option for the Students to Fulfill Education Needs

No Credit Check Student Loans are the relief for the students who are under the bad credit history and they don't fulfill the education necessities. Then bad credit students can apply for No Credit Check Student Loans. The borrowers of No Credit Check Student Loans don't require credit check, co-signer or collateral to place No Credit Check Student Loans. The bad credit students can't find better loans than No Credit Check Student Loans. When the bad credit students will apply for No Credit Check Student Loans, they will find attractive process of No Credit Check Student Loans as their No Credit Check Student Loans amount will be sectioned into their account in their college bank automatically within few hours on the same day they apply. Seeing high label study No Credit Check Student Loans have brought large amount its range from $500 to $15000. If the students have good credit history, the amount range can surmount on their requirements. But before applying for No Credit Check Student Loans the applicant must be more than 18 years or he/she is studying in UG, PG and active checking account must be at least 6 months old. They can get No Credit Check Student Loans and they can meet all your requirements like tuition fee, hostel fee, and extra charges like purchase of books and so on. Generally a graduate student can avail a loan amount of up to $15000. The interest rate is low for the students who avail No Credit Check Student Loans. Availing No Credit Check Student Loans over internet is very simple and fast. When you will apply online for No Credit Check Student Loans, you will find several lenders providing No Credit Check Student Loans. But you are to opt a right lender one of those lenders, the lender will provide you an online No Credit Check Student Loans application form to fill up personal details according to application form. The lender will complete rest of the work and after verification the No Credit Check Student Loans will be transferred into student's account by the flexible within few hours. After No Credit Check Student Loans the students can use No Credit Check Student Loans for purchasing important objects like computer, books or others. The repayment of No Credit Check Student Loans is for 84 months and if this repayment is less for your study, No Credit Check Student Loans can be repaid by completing their study. After using No Credit Check Student Loans the students can bright their career.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Student Loans and Grants Law Students: Construct the Easier to the Law Study

Student Loans And Grants Law Students are the reliable source for the low students. Student Loans And Grants Law Students have the fleetest loaning process. These kinds of loans don't require any type of security in the place of fund. As a result Student Loans And Grants Law Students is a golden opportunity for the students who crave to study of law. Whether you have an idea in your mind to pursue law study then apply for Student Loans And Grants Law Students that will carry out all the complications of law study. And then you can study without any boring process. Whenever you aspire to avail the cash from the local banks, you find yourself involving of the loan transaction. Consequently you remove yourself such situations, and at last there is an idea  round in your mind that now from where loan is availed, and who will lend? Then leave these bad ideas, and remarkable the best option of Student Loans And Grants Law Students that is provided with the easiest and quickest process. There are numerous lenders attached with Student Loans And Grants Law Students available online, they require the borrowers few basis formalities to fulfill in the online application form, and rest of the work is completed by the lender. After verification cash is transferred directly into the account of the borrowers automatically within few hours. on receiving the cash you can study full time or part time. Student Loans And Grants Law Students offer special loan amount to the students who aspire to pursue the law study, in that case the students can get the fund on their credit history and in both spell, such as the students have the bad credit history, they can get the amount between $1,000 to $25,000 at slightly high rate of interest, and the fair credit history can get the amount between $5,000 to $25,000 and more. Student Loans And Grants Law Students can fulfill all the complications of the law study. You can take the training of any law teacher, you can pay the hard fee of the college, you can purchase books for revision, you can discharge the last debt that you have taken before, you can pay the hostel charges, and you cover coming expenses. You can repay Student Loans And Grants Law Students within 7-15years or on the monthly installment repayment. The students who are suffering with late payment, default, CCJs, IVAs, or bankruptcy, they can apply for the Student Loans And Grants Law Students, and then they can start your study but for them the rate of interests may slightly more. They can establish themselves in good credit.

Answers To Your Private Student Loan Questions

College education is important to everyone. However not everyone has the capability to enter college because of the lack of financial aid. This is where private student loans take place.

Private student loans are being granted by banks and other non-profit financial institutions. This type of student loan can build a bridge to finance additional expenses in terms of education. As a matter of fact, private student loans have a more rapid growth compared to Federal student loans.

However, students should apply only of private student loans if and only if they have maxed out already a particular Federal student loan. There are various requirements needed when applying for private student loans. Most of the time, those requirements are based upon the lenders preferences. It requires that a student must be enrolled at a half-time in a certificate, degree or technical program. Also, a student must be a US citizen or a permanent resident of the USA. Moreover, the student must have an above average credit score. Sometimes the need for co-signers is necessary to have a lower interest rates and monthly bills.

Private student loans are indeed the immediate answer for students who need financial aid.

Private Student Loan Consolidation

Private student loans are credit-based and have more attractive repayment terms as well as interest rates. It can really help in saving money every month unlike the Federal student loans. Private student loan consolidation is simply the process of refinancing and combining private student loans into a single debt only. It may result to a lower monthly loan payments thus will also lessen your worries about your multiple loans.

The very main essence of a private student loan consolidation is to lessen the monthly payment of students who have multiple loans. By getting quotes from various lenders, a student can have knowledge about how to get the best deal with all the prevailing market rates present nowadays. Furthermore, private student loan consolidation can result to an extended loan payment. This gives the student borrowers enough time to pay their loans with fewer burdens. These beneficial advantages offered by the private student loan consolidation are not possible if students have several loans to handle.

There are various private student loan consolidation companies which offer more benefits. One of these is the interest rate reduction which can result to lower loan monthly payments to think of. The options for the loan repayment procedures depend upon the qualifications being required by a particular lending company. Thus, it is also the work of the lending company to choose the best private student loan consolidation program suitable for a particular student loaner.

Indeed, private student loan consolidation brings various benefits. However, one should still be aware of some situations like the drawbacks of having a private student loan consolidated.