Impact of Migration and Remoteness on Tribal Students' Cognitive Skills and Nep 2020 Implementation

The main aim of this research is to determine how seasonal migrations and living in rural or remote areas affect the ability of tribal children (specifically Gujjars and Bakerwals) to think cognitively as well as to investigate how the 2020 National Education Policy (NEP) has been implemented at the local level in tribal regions of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. This research used a descriptive survey design to gather data from a total of 120 tribal students (60 from Rajouri District, and 60 from Anantnag District) who were randomly sampled through stratified sampling methods from both government schools and seasonal educational centers. A standardized version of the Cognitive Abilities Test was used to assess the cognitive skills of the participants. Questionnaires designed by the researchers were also used to collect information about the knowledge and implementation of the 2020 National Education Policy from the students themselves, their teachers (N=40), and educational administrators (N=10). The results indicated that tribal students migrating seasonally had significantly lower mean cognitive scores (M=38.7, SD=9.2) than tribal students who did not migrate (M=51.4, SD=8.6; t = 7.82, p < .01). Additionally, students from tribal communities residing in rural or remote areas tended to have lower mean cognitive test scores than students from tribal communities residing in semi-rural tribal pockets. Finally, it was determined that the implementation of the 2020 National Education Policy in tribal regions was severely limited, with only 22.5% of teachers reporting an awareness of the key provisions of the policy, and only 15% of schools initiating the foundational literacy and numeracy programs required under the policy. It is recommended that culturally responsive pedagogical practices be developed and implemented for tribal education; that mobile school systems be strengthened; that instruction occur in the tribal children's mother-tongue (Gojri); and that targeted education implementation cells be established to implement the 2020 National Education Policy in tribal regions.