A Research Study on Cultural Practices and Geographical Barriers Influencing Higher Education among Tribal Girls

Author(s)	Ms. Rama Negi, Prof. Satveer Barwal
Country	India
Abstract	This study examines how cultural practices and geographical barriers jointly shape access to higher education among tribal girls in Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh. The objectives are to assess the influence of customary social practices on girls' higher-educational participation and to evaluate how geographical remoteness conditions that participation. Using a descriptive, secondary-data design drawing on Census 2011, AISHE reports, and peer-reviewed regional literature, the study compiles district literacy and national Scheduled-Tribe enrolment indicators and interprets them statistically. It hypothesises that cultural practices significantly constrain participation and that geographical barriers significantly reduce access. Results show that although Kinnaur's female literacy reached 70.96% in 2011, a 16-point gender gap persists, while Scheduled-Tribe female Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education remains markedly below the all-India figure. The discussion links these gaps to early marriage, customary property norms, terrain-driven isolation, and thin institutional density. The study concludes that cultural and geographical factors operate together, requiring integrated, gender-responsive policy.
Keywords	tribal girls, higher education, cultural practices, geographical barriers, Kinnaur
Discipline	Sociology > Education
Published In	Volume 4, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-06-02

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Advanced International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research