According to a survey, enrolment of girls, which is higher at the primary level, dips significantly in the upper primary and secondary classes.
NEW DELHI: The government might be in seventh heavens for its success in pushing the school enrolment rates with schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and MidDay Meals (MDM), but the high drop out rate among girls has become a major cause of concern.
According to a survey, enrolment of girls, which is higher at the primary level, dips significantly in the upper primary and secondary classes.
While the parental attitude towards the girl child is a major factor contributing to the drop out rate, lack of transport facilities, dearth of neighbourhood schools and absence of separate toilets in schools are other pertinent factors.
According to a study by the National University for Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA), only 42 per cent schools across 539 districts in 2004-05 had common toilets out of which mere 28.24 per cent schools had separate toilet for girls.
“Despite putting much emphasis on SSA in the subsequent budgets, there has not been much progress. There is a need for allocation for girls through a provision like Kanya Vishesh Shiksha Abhiyan,” said sociologist Ranjana Kumari.
The drop out rate among girls goes up with the class. According to another survey in 2004-05, while in classes I-V the girl drop out was 25 per cent as compared to boys (31.37 per cent), it doubled to 50.76 per cent compared to boys (50.10 per cent), between classes I and VIII.
NUEPA figures also indicate that boys outnumber girls both at the primary and upper primary levels of education. Gujarat, Jharkhand, MP and UP have a very low Gender Parity Index, which shows that a large number of girls in these states are still out of school.
However, schools in the urban areas have a higher percentage of girl’s enrolment than those in the rural areas.
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