Where are we today with respect to girls' education

campsOpen school systemProgramme in Karnataka, UttarPradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradeshand Gujarat and Lok Jumbish inRajasthanand also provide older girlsan opportunity to completeprimary (class 5) and/orupper primary (class 7). (SeeAnnexure 2: Catching themissed education bus).Social relations and genderWhy do children drop out? Why do fewer girls complete the primary cycle? Why arelearning outcomes poor?These questions have worried administrators and commentators alike. Large nationalsample surveys - NSS and NFHS-2 - have collected information on reasons for children’snon-attendance in school. Although this information is not available separately fordifferent social groups, the data elucidates why some children never attend school andwhy others who do drop out. The reasons differ between boys and girls and between ruraland urban children. According to the NFHS-2 (which has clubbed together children aged6–17 years), overall, 15 per cent of boys and 22 per cent of girls were not attendingschool at the time of the survey (Table 11: Reasons for never attending / dropping out).The high cost of providing education and disinterest in studies accounted for nearly 50per cent of the boys in both rural and urban areas never attended school. For girls, alongwith the cost of education, their usefulness in the home and help in household work weregiven as reasons for non-attendance. Education was perceived as unnecessary for girls innearly 13 per cent of the responses. The major reasons cited for children who dropped outof school were lack of interest and the necessity for them to work –– for cash or kind ––at home or outside.It is now widely accepted that even though schooling is free, especially in rural areas, andmore specifically for girls, there are some hidden costs. Children have to be reasonablywell dressed for school. There is also the cost of books and other materials needed forstudies. Lack of interest in studies can stem from a number of reasons, ranging from adisabling study environment in the home, lack of facilities in schools, irregularity ofteachers, to the low social status of some children and their families within thecommunity leading to harassment in the school. On work, the argument is oftencircuitous. It is likely that when children drop out of school, they are engaged in someuseful activity around the home. Equally likely is the possibility that they drop outbecause they are needed to contribute to the household income. In the case of rural girls,a small percentage also reported lack of proper school facilities and marriage as reasonsfor dropping out of school.Economic explanations per se rarely explain persistent bottlenecks in attaining universalprimary education. The reality is that economic factors are inextricably entwined withsocial variables in determining children’s ability to both access and continue in schools,often making it difficult to distinguish between the two. The in-depth study of elementaryeducation of the poorest and other deprived groups by Jha and Jhingran (2002) shedsIndia Case Study Page 15 20 June 2003