Educational Aspirations and Career Choices of Tribal College Students in Jharkhand

Authors: Kamil Manmod Dhan

Country: India

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Abstract: Jharkhand is situated in one of the largest concentrations of Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in India, although aggregate enrolment in higher education is only lower than the state average or the national ST average. This paper explores ways in which structural circumstances, family and community resources, institutional experiences, and career information influence the education and career choices of tribal college students in Jharkhand. It relies on an integrative literature review and descriptive analysis of publicly available secondary data, mostly the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 202324 and the statistical profile of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs census. In 202324, AISHE estimates a higher-education enrolment of 189,581 ST students in Jharkhand out of an overall enrolment of 20.6% of higher education. The gross enrolment rate in ST was 15.6% against 19.4 in Jharkhand and 22.8 in the rest of the country and 22.8 among ST students. There was a higher enrolment of females in ST and a higher enrolment of females in ST GER which shows a significant shift in participation. But participation does not show equal freedom of choice or accomplishment of preferred careers. The synthesis demonstrates that ambitions tend to be intense and are associated with social mobility, stable employment, family progression, and service to the community, but their translation into practical options is constrained by financial insecurity, parental lack of experience of higher education, language barrier, ineffective career guidance, geographic seclusion, inequality in the quality of institutions, discrimination, and weak professional networks. The paper advises a coordinated strategy which includes predictable financial assistance, culturally sensitive counselling, mentoring, bridge support, internships, reaching the community and better data systems.

Keywords: tribal students, educational aspirations, career choice, higher education, Jharkhand, Scheduled Tribes

Paper Id: 233191

Published On: 2026-08-10

Published In: Volume 14, Issue 4, July-August 2026

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