Girls who are forced to drop out of school and to take care of their younger siblings can now take along their brothers and sisters to school.
NEW DELHI: Girls who are forced to drop out of school and to take care of their younger siblings can now take along their brothers and sisters to school. In order to reduce the drop-out rates and improve the retention of girls in schools, the government has decided to allow them to bring siblings with them in the classrooms.
In a notification sent to all state governments, the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) has asked the states education departments to attach creches and pre-school sections (anganwadis and balwadis) to schools so that girls can participate in schooling.
“Often the girl child is expected to take care of the young sibling at home. We have tied up with Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme of the ministry of woman and child development (WCD) for this since their anganwadi and balwadi schemes run in many government schools. We are encouraging the younger sibling below six years to come to school with the elder sister and also avail of mid-day meals.
The schools must be gender-sensitive and the girl child must feel welcome in the school atmosphere,” said RK Rath, secretary, school education, MHRD.
Schools have also been asked to arrange for toys and other materials to keep the younger siblings engaged while the elder sister attends the classes. In case the youn-ger ones refuse to be separated from their elder sister, the teachers would allow them to sit in the classrooms, next to their didi. The MHRD official said this will not only help free the girls from sibling responsibilities but also ensure their regular attendance. The scheme also equips the youn-ger siblings with pre-school skills. A study to assess the impact of the scheme is yet to be conducted. However, officials feel the results have started showing as more girls are now coming to school. Parents too have no problems sending them as the meal is free.
“Younger children also develop interest in going to school if their elder brother or sister is already in it. Through the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme we help these siblings develop some basic pre-school knowledge so that it is easy for them to join the mainstream school when they are eligible,” Rath said.
The centre is paying addition Rs15 lakh per district for the scheme under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The schools have also been told to work out ways to be flexible in terms of timing and learning modalities besides, hiring more female teachers and providing separate toilets for girls.
p_vineeta@dnaindia.net
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