Schooling without learning: welfare, pedagogy and early years classroom processes in a marginalised tribal context in Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract

This paper examines the gap between school participation and foundational learning in early childhood and primary education in a marginalised tribal context in Chhattisgarh, India. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork conducted over 45 days in an Anganwadi centre (ages 3–5) and a government primary school (Grades 1–5, approximately ages 6-10) in forest-fringe Chhattisgarh, it explores why regular attendance among Pando (PVTGs) children does not translate into meaningful learning. Data from classroom observations, interviews with teachers and parents, and field interactions with children were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicate that schooling operates primarily as a welfare-oriented space in which participation is sustained through food provision, while pedagogical processes remain constrained. Multigrade teaching limited instructional time, administrative demands, and linguistic discontinuity restrict opportunities for interaction and comprehension. The paper develops the concept of schooling without learning to explain how participation coexists with limited pedagogical engagement, contributing to debates on inclusion in multilingual, resource-constrained settings.