Drop Outs or Driven Outs?: A Study on the Malaipandaram Tribes in Kerala

This research paper is an attempt to analyze the status of education among the Malai Pandaram tribe in Pathanamthitta and Kollam Districts in Kerala. Even though Kerala is placed in the lime light for the reclaimed Kerala Model of Development, the critics disseminate that certain sections of the people remain excluded from the well fanfare Kerala development model. The excluded sections are tribal people, fishing people, female domestic servants, female agricultural labours, lower caste and migrant workers (Srivanda 1976, Kurian 1995). Ossela (2000) reaffirms that distribution of the benefit of Kerala development model is highly uneven. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are utilized for this study along with extensive ethnographic field work. The study reveals that the Malai Pantaram tribe's condition is very pathetic even though there are more than 18 programmes initiated by the State Government of Kerala strictly intended for the educational upliftment of the tribal students. The study points out the need for an area specific education among these tribal areas.