The study aimed at examining the prevalence of child labour in the villages of East and West Jaintia Hills Districts of Meghalaya where coal mining is predominant.

The tribal population groups from 7.95 percent of the total population of India. About 67.76 million persons have been enumerated in the country (excluding Jammu & Kashmir) as members of the Scheduled Tribes (1991 census).

The drive for a rapid development in the education of women came largely from a perception summed up aptly in .the following statement by Mayhew: "women