*With barely 87 permanent hostels in 3,479 Educationally Backward Blocks, Indian bureaucrats hope in vain to retain adolescent girls in secondary and higher secondary schools (classes 1X-XII) despite knowing well that they drop out in droves after elementary education "due to distance of schools, ill-affording parents and other societal factors."*
Data reveal that the dropout rate sharply rises after primary level and peaks at the higher secondary level. Girls enrolled in schools are suddenly banished to the security of their homes before they reach adolescence.
This all too common pattern has led the Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women to express "apprehension" about the implementation of the central government-sponsored girls hostel scheme.
According to government data for 2010-11, the dropout rate of girls during Class I-V is 25 per cent. It rises to 41 per cent from I-VIII and 48 per cent from I-X. Over the years, government efforts to peg the exodus have not paid off. The dropout figures for these categories for the previous year (2009-10) are worse - 27, 44, and 52 per cent respectively.
The dropout rate in many states is much higher than the national average. For example Assam has 78 per cent, Jharkhand 68 and Bihar 58 per cent.
In this backdrop, the bureaucratic strategy to bring girls out of their homes to the open space of learning and the playful environment of a hostel and school seems rather incongruous. The disillusioned Parliamentary Panel has summarised the trends as: "The Committee members are dismayed to note that the physical performance under this centrally sponsored scheme is not encouraging in view of the fact that against the target of 1,999 girls hostels approved way back in 2009-10, only 4.35 per cent hostels have been completed and made functional; 17 per cent of hostels are functional in temporary locations and a massive 78 per cent hostels are either under construction or yet to start," says the panel report.
The panel has expressed its misgivings about the ministry being able to meet its target by the 2015-16 deadline.
The statement of objects of the scheme launched in 2008 states: "The main objective of the scheme is to improve access to and retain the girl child in secondary and higher secondary classes (IX-XII) so that the girls students are not denied the opportunity to continue their study due to distance from schools, parents' financial affordability and other connected societal factors." Reported by Deccan Herald 21 hours ago.
Data reveal that the dropout rate sharply rises after primary level and peaks at the higher secondary level. Girls enrolled in schools are suddenly banished to the security of their homes before they reach adolescence.
This all too common pattern has led the Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women to express "apprehension" about the implementation of the central government-sponsored girls hostel scheme.
According to government data for 2010-11, the dropout rate of girls during Class I-V is 25 per cent. It rises to 41 per cent from I-VIII and 48 per cent from I-X. Over the years, government efforts to peg the exodus have not paid off. The dropout figures for these categories for the previous year (2009-10) are worse - 27, 44, and 52 per cent respectively.
The dropout rate in many states is much higher than the national average. For example Assam has 78 per cent, Jharkhand 68 and Bihar 58 per cent.
In this backdrop, the bureaucratic strategy to bring girls out of their homes to the open space of learning and the playful environment of a hostel and school seems rather incongruous. The disillusioned Parliamentary Panel has summarised the trends as: "The Committee members are dismayed to note that the physical performance under this centrally sponsored scheme is not encouraging in view of the fact that against the target of 1,999 girls hostels approved way back in 2009-10, only 4.35 per cent hostels have been completed and made functional; 17 per cent of hostels are functional in temporary locations and a massive 78 per cent hostels are either under construction or yet to start," says the panel report.
The panel has expressed its misgivings about the ministry being able to meet its target by the 2015-16 deadline.
The statement of objects of the scheme launched in 2008 states: "The main objective of the scheme is to improve access to and retain the girl child in secondary and higher secondary classes (IX-XII) so that the girls students are not denied the opportunity to continue their study due to distance from schools, parents' financial affordability and other connected societal factors." Reported by Deccan Herald 21 hours ago.