New Delhi, Sept. 21: The near extinct Birhor tribe has reasons to be elated. Known for high incidence of poverty and illiteracy, a ?movement? now seems to be brewing among them for education.

In its latest annual report, the Union ministry of tribal affairs has listed the increasing enrolment of Birhor children in schools in Jharkhand and Orissa as one of the success stories due to development programmes initiated by it.

?It?s a heartening development that the development schemes are having their desired impact. Our subsequent emphasis would be on upgrading their skills so they are able to gain employment,? said tribal affairs minister P.R. Kyndiah.

The ministry, through the Bharat Sevashram Sangh, established residential schools in a bid to overcome the hurdles faced by tribal children in going to regular institutions. From a humble beginning with a single school at Sonari in 1993, the organisation now operates as many as six in Rameshwar, Devangi, Samanpur and Dumka. Around 900 children are estimated to be enrolled in these institutions.

The regular schools flopped because children suffered from ?shyness of contact, insecurity of returning back home from distantly located schools and the immediate economics of losing revenue?.

The ?positive transformation?, according to the ministry, is evident in the ?rush of tribal parents seeking admission for their children to the schools. The organisation (Bharat Sevashram Sangh) has generated a movement among tribals to educate their children,? says the report.

Usually forest dwellers, the Birhors have suffered heavily in the past few decades and are supposedly one of the most impoverished tribes in the country. Many members of the community chalk out their livelihood through begging.

The ministry finances its development schemes through the Tribal sub plan that is also part of the state scheme for the welfare of tribals. It is in operation in states where the tribal population is below 50 per cent of the total. During the previous fiscal, the ministry spent Rs 894.24 crore in funds given for development programmes to different states.