Dansk abstrakt:
Siden missionærerne Ziegenbalg og Plütschau i 1707 grundlagde de første skoler i Tranquebar, har byen været kendt som en ”skoleby”. På trods af landsbyens ringe størrelse er der adskillige skoler i Tranquebar og opland, og dette præger tydeligt bybilledet. Men hvor uddannelse tidligere har været forbeholdt de mere privilegerede,
mens flertallet blandt de lavere kaster, som landsbyens meget synlige fiskerkaste, højest fik et par års skolegang, er der i løbet af de seneste par generationer sket en forøgelse af andelen af børn, der færdiggører grundskolen. Mange er nu villige til at
opgive at oplære børnene i de traditionelle kastebeskæftigelser og forlade det hidtidige mønster for arbejdsdeling og kønsroller for at lade både drenge og piger gå i skole og fortsætte på en videregående uddannelse. Det er for mange et stort sats, socialt og økonomisk, at sætte alle familiens ressourcer ind på at skaffe børnene den omkostningsfulde uddannelse, men forhåbningerne er, at indsatsen vil betale sig i form af forøget social og økonomisk kapital til de familier, der har uddannede børn. Der er imidlertid mange forhindringer, der skal overkommes, og mange modstridende
kræfter på spil i landsbyens netværk af aktører.

English abstract: School life and education in Tranquebar
The article is based on a short field-work in Tranquebar in February-March 2007, which focused on the strategies, hopes and changes regarding education amongst the fishermen in the village where there are many schools but no facilities for taking a higher education. During the last few generations, there has been a general change in the attitude regarding the use value of an education – where earlier it was expected and desired that the sons and daughters undertook the profession and work of their family through generations, now it is desired that the children of both sexes abandon the old division of labour, where the sons went fishing and the daughters took care of the household and fish vending. With the hopes that getting an education will provide
more financial security than the chancy, wearing and ever fluctuating fishing, many families are trying to save up to afford the often costly college or university education for their children. There are some obstacles to be overcome; financial, social and
structural, in order to achieve their goal: To get at least one son or daughter educated and able to hold a position with enough social status and income to benefit the entire family. These strategies imply the need to change the short-sighted economic system of their community, a shift in the perception of the position and capacities attributed to their caste and the will to make sacrifices – for instance to sacrifice the education of the eldest son in order to make possible the education of others, as it is taken for granted that the individual must give up personal interests for the common good of the kin. But even though education is considered solely advantageous by the fishermen, there are also proofs of conflicts and frustrations caused by the changes
that accompany a raise in the general level of education.