Education is a key driver and a building block in a child’s life. However, despite it being a fundamental right, its access and availability affects different gender in different forms, across the education period. In CAF’s intervention through education programs, engagement with think-tanks, and thought-leaders we have observed many discrepancies at play which act as bottlenecks for particularly girl child to access education.
Access to infrastructure, interest in formal education, positive peer-group, teacher-student ratio, socio-cultural background, all play a pivotal role in deciding the course of education for a girl child.
According to World Economic Forum Global Gender Index 2022, India ranks 135 out of 145 countries, which reflects a significant gender disparity across multiple fronts such as political representation, economic empowerment, etc. However, on the Education front India has scored first position on Enrolment in Primary and Tertiary Education. Over the last 70 years, India has made significant progress in attaining literacy, and bridging the education gender divide, through campaigns, progressive policies, burgeoning middle class, and a cultural shift. Since the first census, the literacy rate for females has gone from 8.9 per cent in 1951 to 65.8 per cent in 2018.
While the progress is significant in many ways, India’s ranking in enrolment in secondary education and overall literacy rate, paints a grim picture. While working on the overlappings issues of gender and education along with multiple grassroot organisations, we have realised that the situation is much more complex. The impact of enrolment illustrates just the tip of the iceberg, while the landscape of education is fret with socio cultural dichotomies.
What is latent is the question of access, economic return, capability poverty, etc. Indian government itself recognised that while Right to Education Act and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has led to mass enrolment; retention has been a bottleneck. The problem of retention, and stalling of drop-outs has been particularly visible in terms of retention of girls, as it is multi-faceted, and stems from the patriarchal mindset engrained in the Indian society. According to Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Plus 2021-22 report the drop out rate of girls were higher than boys in the last 3 years, for primary and upper primary level.
While the answer might be easy to predict, it is one of the most challenging interventions to deal with. The undercurrent of disparity, visible in education, manifests in different forms across the life cycle of a female and is deeply engrained in the larger social fabric, giving rise to a vicious cycle of imbalance and inequality leading to dropout.
Early child marriage (According to UNICEF, 27% of women aged 20-24 years were married before the age of 18, and 7% were married before the age of 15. Early marriage, prevalent in rural areas, lack of infrastructure facilities in schools such as toilets, engaging in domestic chores, caregiving for younger siblings and elderly grandparents, agricultural labour, acts as major deterrents for females to be retained in school.
This is in stark distinction to what other research says on investing on girls education. According to the study by Plan International and financial services firm Citi’s Global Insights team, every $1 spent on girls’ rights and education would generate a $2.80 return – equivalent to billions of dollars in extra GDP.
Against this background, grassroot civil society organisations, along with government driven mass media campaigns, and strong policies can drive the shift towards a more inclusive and equitable education in India, keeping in mind the cross-cutting role of gender. Approaches such as increasing access to quality education, investing in infrastructure, promoting social and cultural change, and empowering girls and women through education can bring an exponential change.
Programs that provide financial support through scholarship schemes, and peer-group support have also shown promise in increasing girls enrolment and retention. Additionally, bridge programmes, STEM education, access to libraries and experiential learning programmes have also exhibited potential participation both among families and girl child.
As much a gravitas is needed for providing education to girls, a higher impetus is needed on interventions with communities and drivers such as parents, guardians, teachers to increase the uptake of education and retain it. There are enough reports that suggest that community engagement models have better outcomes and impact.
As we begin to come out of the pandemic, which has been a fragility multiplier particularly affecting women and girls, the next few years are crucial to rebuild our society on the principles of equity more than equality. With an exploding young population, technology and innovation, rise of the gig economy, no gender can be left out.
Pooja hails from Jharkhand. Her mother had a very tough life, as her father deserted them at an early age which compelled her mother to migrate to Gurugram along with her children in search of better livelihood. But COVID devastated their situation and further deteriorated their economic condition. Her mother had to struggle very hard to earn money and due to lack of support and supervision, Pooja and her siblings dropped out of school and remain without education. Pooja’s mother wanted all their children to get education so that they will not face any such situation where her mother is now.
Pooja narrates, “During a time of hopelessness, one aunty reached out to us and enquired about our situation. Her words gave us hope and comfort. They enrolled my mother for tailoring course and admitted us in the crèche. My brother and I are now getting education and meal in the centre. There are many children like us and I have made friends with most of them. I have received education materials and uniform. I am feeling good and hopeful to get admission in school soon. My mother will be very happy to see us going to school. Now she is very relieved and focusing on her work without worrying about us”.
“I was getting confused about my future and career. If I do not clear NEET exam. then what would I do other than this? Which career option would I pursue? Project Unnati:Wings4Her guided me through the Career Guidance Session which were taken by Experts from various science fields who informed that there are a lot of other career options in the field of science and technology apart from NEET & JEE. I was guided about my career in which I am interested in and now I am clear in what I have to pursue and become in future. Wings4Her not only guided but also provided literally wings for me to fly through the scholarship support. This has further reduced my stress and dependency on my parents for money especially when COVID has hit our household income badly”.
I am Geeta Kumari, a student of class 12th. I am associated with Unnati:Wings4Her program which helped me in my studies especially at a time when all of us were struggling with online classes due to poor connectivity and lack of adequate device. I was getting worried and impatient. Wings4Her came to my help and provided me with study materials and videos through google docs which are related to our studies. The videos were very helpful and I found them much more helpful than the classroom teaching. This helped me to write all my tests well. I scored good marks in all my Periodic Tests. We were also provided with Mentors whom we can approach easily. For doubts and conceptual clarity, I approached them over phone and they used to help me in solving problems. I also got chance to interact with various people in this program who are in different professions and they informed me that we have a lot of career options, not ortunly doctors or engineers after taking science. This information was an eye-opener for me.
“After joining the Unnati project, I saw a lot of positive changes in my daughter. For instance, earlier she was not interested in Science but now after practising the worksheets and going through the videos sent by Unnati:Wings4Her team, she takes a keen interest in science and started doing well in school too. The project has helped my daughter identify her interest and instilled in her the passion to study hard and dream of a good career. In this project, experts working in different fields of science are invited and the students are provided guidance, their questions are solved, and the mentors share their journey which really inspired my daughter. She now talks to different people and asks her queries without any hesitation, which I really appreciate.
Some life skills activities are sent by Unnati which are liked by all of us such as self-awareness activity wherein my daughter got to know about herself. Unnati helped my daughter in many ways, she taught her how to overcome difficulties in life through life skills. The Unnati team also came to our home from time to time and supported my daughter and helped her in Career Guidance.
I am wholeheartedly thankful to the Unnati Project for helping so much in the development of my daughter and bringing a positive change in her”.
“When we came to know about the Unnati:Wings4Her, its purpose and why it is being started, we were happy to know that it is helping girls to advance in the field of STEM. Worksheets were sent every week on difficult topics related to Math and Science, which were practised by the students and explained by the mentor in case of any doubt which helped the students a lot. This project has benefitted my daughter a lot as she feels competent in these subjects now. Sessions are being held from time to time in which all the teachers associated with the Unnati team talk to the students and help them in solving their problems. In our time, there was no such person to guide us, so I liked that now the children are being helped with this kind of guidance. Professionals from different fields such as doctors, physiotherapists, researchers etc. take sessions for the students and help them. We would like to thank all the people associated with this great project”.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio, neque qui velit. Magni dolorum quidem ipsam eligendi, totam, facilis laudantium cum accusamus ullam voluptatibus commodi numquam, error, est. Ea, consequatur.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio, neque qui velit. Magni dolorum quidem ipsam eligendi, totam, facilis laudantium cum accusamus ullam voluptatibus commodi numquam, error, est. Ea, consequatur.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio, neque qui velit. Magni dolorum quidem ipsam eligendi, totam, facilis laudantium cum accusamus ullam voluptatibus commodi numquam, error, est. Ea, consequatur.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio, neque qui velit. Magni dolorum quidem ipsam eligendi, totam, facilis laudantium cum accusamus ullam voluptatibus commodi numquam, error, est. Ea, consequatur.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio, neque qui velit. Magni dolorum quidem ipsam eligendi, totam, facilis laudantium cum accusamus ullam voluptatibus commodi numquam, error, est. Ea, consequatur.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio, neque qui velit. Magni dolorum quidem ipsam eligendi, totam, facilis laudantium cum accusamus ullam voluptatibus commodi numquam, error, est. Ea, consequatur.
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India is a registered not-for-profit organization established in New Delhi, India in 1998 nurturing the culture of giving with impact. The imbibing of this culture emboldens our approach of creating a positive change in the community by reaching to the last mile person.
Plot / Site No.2, First Floor, Sector C (OFC Pocket), Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi – 110070
