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POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY TN

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However, there is a scope for meeting the goal. The Indian Government has<br />

launched the National Program of Universal Education known as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan<br />

(SSA). The SSA sets out to have all children completing five years of schooling by 2007,<br />

to have all children completing eight years of schooling by 2010, to eliminate gender and<br />

social disparities in primary schooling by 2007 and by 2010 in secondary schooling and to<br />

have universal retention of children in primary school by 2010. The 11 th Plan approach<br />

paper (2007-12) sets out to increase literacy rate to 85 percent and to lower gender gap<br />

in literacy to 10 percentage points. While it is extremely promising that the government<br />

itself has laid out these goals that go beyond the MDGs within a shorter time frame, it<br />

remains to be seen whether any of these will be met.<br />

c. Millennium Development Goals and Gender Equality in Tamil Nadu<br />

The state is well on track in terms of improving the proportion of girls to boys in primary<br />

education. The ratio increased from 0.86 in 1990-91 to 0.94 in 2006-07. The<br />

corresponding national figures are 0.71 and 0.88 (Table 1.13). It is estimated that if<br />

improvements continue at their current rate the ratio of girls to boys in primary school<br />

will reach the required level in 2018 in Tamil Nadu (in 2016 for all-India). It is noted that<br />

the ratio at middle level in Tamil Nadu was 0.93 in 2006-07 (as against the national<br />

figure of 0.82). As stated earlier, Tamil Nadu has been successful in using mid-day meals<br />

scheme for school children to enhance rates of enrolment and retention overtime.<br />

Table 1.13: Gender Equality Indicators<br />

Indicators Years India Tamil Nadu<br />

Gross Enrolment at Primary: Girls/boys * 1990-91 0.71 0.86<br />

2006-07 0.88 0.94<br />

Gross Enrolment at Middle: Girls/boys * 1990-91 0.58<br />

2006-07 0.82 0.93<br />

Proportion of Women Lok Sabha (percent) $ 1999 9.00 3.00<br />

2004 8.00 3.00<br />

Proportion of Women in Labor Market<br />

1991 22.50 30.40<br />

(percent) #<br />

2001 23.30 31.40<br />

Women in Labor Market (Non-agriculture 1991 13.53 18.95<br />

Sector) #<br />

2001 17.21 23.42<br />

Source: # Census of India (2001); * Economic Survey (various issues) and Selected Educational Statistics,<br />

2006-07; and $ Election Commission of India.<br />

The participation of female workers in the total work force is summarised in<br />

Table 1.14. It is shown that the share of female work force to total work force has gone<br />

17

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