2.
Personal reasons for dropouts
3.
Whether the dropout rate is more among girls
Whether the dropout rate is more among rural
1.
5.
Measures to be taken up to minimise dropouts
Listening
sten to the 2 speeches and answer the quest
Answers
Explanation:
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Home >Opinion >The high dropout rate of girls in India
Schools need to become more receptive for girls and deliver education of better quality. Photo: Mint
Schools need to become more receptive for girls and deliver education of better quality. Photo: Mint
The high dropout rate of girls in India
4 min read . 31 Jan 2018
Anjela Taneja
A wealth of experience exists on how to keep girls in school and ensure the quality of their education
Topics
mint-india-wireIndiaeducation in Indiaeducation for girlsdropout ratesschool dropoutsRight to Educationhuman research development ministryBeti BachaoBeti PadhaoAser 2017schoolseducation policy in India
According to the ministry of human resource development (MHRD), 62.1 million) children are out of school in India. The 2011 Census estimated the figure at 84 million—nearly 20% of the age group covered under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. At this stage, traditional gender norms push girls into helping with household chores and sibling care, leading to irregular attendance that eventually results in dropouts. Early marriage, lack of safety in schools and low aspirations related to girls’ education also lead to them dropping out.
Additional problems arise when the girl reaches secondary education. As the recent Annual Survey of Education Report (Aser) 2017 findings suggest, while on average the difference between enrolment levels of boys and girls at age 14 are declining, by 18, when the state doesn’t enforce compulsory education through the RTE Act, 32% girls are not enrolled—compared to 28% boys. Bridging mechanisms for out-of-school children exist at the elementary stage, but are absent for secondary education. Hence girls find it difficult to re-enter education once they have dropped out. The number of schools also decreases sharply beyond upper primary. In 2015-16, for every 100 elementary schools (classes I to VIII) in rural India, there were 14 offering secondary (classes IX-X) and only six offering higher secondary grades (classes XI-XII). It has not helped that so many secondary schools are privately-owned, fee-charging schools. At the elementary level, only 5% listed in the official statistics are private unaided schools while 40% schools offering secondary or higher secondary grades are private, unaided institutions. This stacks the odds against girls’ education and leads to dropouts.
While the problems are severe, they are not insurmountable. A wealth of experience exists on how to keep girls in school and ensure quality of education. The recent recommendation by the Central Advisory Board of Education sub-committee to extend Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalayas till class XII and the plans by MHRD to develop action plans for girls’ education are welcome. The RTE Act appears to be playing its part in helping girls stay in school and it is time to amend it to extend it to include secondary education. The government’s slogan of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao cannot be achieved without a fundamental right to secondary education backed by measures that make free quality public education institutions available and accessible for all, especially girls