Educational status of Rajbanshi women in West Bengal

Abstract

One of India's most disadvantaged social and educational groups is the Scheduled Castes (SC). In the areas of employment, education, society, culture, religion, and politics, they still fall behind. With 60 sub-communities, West Bengal has the second-highest number of Scheduled Caste members in India. Among these, 34 sub-communities fall below the state’s average literacy rate. The Rajbanshi community, one of the major “Scheduled Caste” groups in “West Bengal”, exhibits a similar pattern of educational backwardness. This study focuses on assessing the growth of literacy among the Rajbanshi community from 1961 to 2011, examining gender disparities in education, and analysing current educational conditions. The findings reveal that while literacy among the Rajbanshi community has improved steadily over the decades, gender inequality in literacy remains a concern, particularly in rural areas compared to urban regions.