India 2018

158 India 2018
The general interventions under SSA apply to all girls and children belonging
to disadvantaged and weaker sections; these include ensuring availability of
primary and upper primary schools within the habitation as prescribed under
the RTE Rules, uniforms, textbooks, etc. Special Training interventions are also
largely focused on girls and disadvantaged groups, because it is this category
of children who are most deprived of opportunities to pursue their education.
b. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV): KGBV are residential upper primary
schools for girls from SC, ST, OBC Muslim communities and BPL girls. KGBVs
are set up in educational backward blocks where schools are at great distances
and are a challenge to their security of girls. KGBVs reach out to adolescent
girls who are unable to go to regular schools to out of school girls in the 10+ age
group who are unable to complete primary school and younger girls of migratory
populations in difficult areas of scattered habitations that do not qualify for
primary/upper primary schools. KGBVs provide for a minimum reservation
of 75 per cent seats for girls from SC/ST/OBC and minorities communities and
25 per cent to girls from families that live below the poverty line. 3,600 KGBVs
are functional in the States and 3,66,756 girls are enrolled in them.
c. Removal of Gender Bias: Following the National Curriculum Framework (NCF),
2005 guidelines, states have consciously taken a decision to establish gender as
a critical marker of transformation through increasing visual representation of
girls and women and facilitating role reversal. Most of the states have
incorporated the gender sensitization in their regular School Management
Committee (SMC) training modules to deal with issues such as enrolment,
retention and completion of education of girls; creating suitable atmosphere for
girl students in schools; rapport with female teachers for discussing gender
awareness, etc. Trainings of teachers on gender related issues are organized in
the states specifically for orientation on gender issues facing adolescent girls in
particular.
d. Digital Gender Atlas for Advancing Girls' Education: Department of School
Education and Literacy has prepared a Digital Gender Atlas for Advancing
Girls' Education in the country on its website. The tool, which has been developed
with the support of UNICEF, will help identify low performing geographic
pockets for girls, particularly from marginalized groups such as scheduled castes,
schedule tribes and Muslims, on specific gender related education indicators.
In order to plan and execute educational interventions, the purpose of the Gender
Atlas is to help identify and ensure equitable education with a focus on
vulnerable girls, including girls with disabilities.
e. Separate Girl's Toilets: Under SSA, the requirement of school infrastructure
facilities including toilets and drinking water are worked out by the state based
on need at school/village/block and district level. All new schools sanctioned
under SSA are composite schools with facilities for girls and boys toilets.