Seven decades since Indian Independence, education takes the centre stage in every major discussion on development, especially when we talk about social exclusion, Dalits and reservations today. This book examines social inclusion in the education sector in India for Scheduled Castes (SCs). The volume: · Foregrounds the historical struggles of the SCs to understand why the quest for education is so central to shaping SC consciousness and aspirations; · Works with exhaustive state-level studies with a view to assessing commonalities and differences in the educational status of SCs today; · Takes stock of the policymaking and extent of implementations across Indian states to understand the challenges faced in different scenarios; · Seeks to analyse the differential in existing economic conditions, and other structural constraints, in relation to access to quality educational facilities; · Examines the social perceptions and experiences of SC students as they live now. A major study, the volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of education, sociology and social anthropology, development studies and South Asian studies.

1. Higher Education 2. The Background 3. Issues of Problems 4. Universal Elementary Education 5. A Prerequisite for Mobilisation 6. Related Research and Literature 7. Educational Wastage 8. Awareness About Educational Schemes 9. Training Scheduled Castes 10. Societal Background - An Individual 11. Training for Development 12. Aspects of Social Life 13. Students' Outlook 14. Follow up Index

The book is an outcome of a report of a major research project sponsored by UGC, New Delhi; entitled "A study of scheduled castes in two districts of rural Rajasthan" which was submitted by the author in March, 1995. It deals with the various dimensions of social change which are largely affected by occuptional mobility and/or continuity in the people of two major categories, viz .leatherworking and scavenging.

Contents: Introduction, Review of Literature, Approach to Tribal Development, Design of the Study, Socio-Economic and Demographic Profile of the Respondents, Profile of Tribals in Andhra Pradesh, Impact of Education, Absenteeism, Stagnation and Wastage, Alternative Strategies of Development of Tribal Education: Non-Formal Education, Summary and Conclusions.