So,
Bihar tops again. This time in schoolgirls' dropout chart. Last
week, the Parliament was informed that the number of schoolgirls
quitting class before crossing the secondary level is the highest
in Bihar followed by West Bengal. While Bihar scored 85.36% up to
class X and 79.62% up to class XII in dropout chart, West Bengal
84.44% of schoolgirls quit class before crossing the secondary level.
In 1997-87, Bihar was on third place with 87.68% dropout rate of
girl child compared to Rajasthan with 89.25% (top) followed by West
Bengal with 88.7% in class I-X category though it led in the category
of class I-VIII with 80.48% followed by West Bengal (71.11%) and
Rajasthan (69.73%). Meghalaya, however, had the highest dropout
rate for both male and female schoolchildren up to Class X. In comparison,
Kerala showed the lowest dropout rate of 8.58% for both male and
female students up to Class X. The state's dropout rate for the
elementary level stood at just 9.54%. According to the 2003-04 data,
the north-eastern state recorded 83.24% of its school children dropping
out before passing the secondary stage.
The number of
out-of-school children has increased and is estimated to be over
100 million of whom 60% are girls. Of every 100 girls enrolled in
Class I, there are only 40 who continue up to Class V, only 18 up
to Class VIII, only 9 up to Class IX, and only one up to Class XII.
The average dropout rate according to Education For All (EFA) assessment
(2000) is 25.8%, the highest girl dropout rates, over 40%, being
observed in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
In the new millennium,
there has been a great deal of buzz about India taking off as a
"knowledge-based economy and society the dropout rate in schools
continues to be "unacceptably high", especially the girl
child. In 59 years of Independence, the socio-political system has
failed miserably to ensure that at least a majority of children
between the ages of 6 and 14 are in school. In practice, dropout
rate in Indian primary, middle and high schools, particularly for
girls, continues to be shamefully high, despite constitutional obligations
on the part of the State. In fact, the responsibility rests with
successive State and Central Governments. Education scenario, especially
the girl child education in Bihar remains bleak because of the misrule
of the successive governments.
Although the
literacy rate has nearly increased three times in the second half
of the 20th century to about one-third of the state's population,
Bihar still ranks low in literacy among Indian states. The rate
for males is significantly higher than that for females. The state's
general aim is to educate all children at least up to the age of
14. About 90% of those eligible are enrolled in the primary schools,
but only a small proportion reach the secondary level, as economic
necessity forces them to work.
In April this
year, the Patna High Court took exception to the deteriorating condition
of the school education system of the state. The High Court asked
the state government to file an affidavit detailing the present
education scenario in Bihar. The directive of the Court was in response
to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Shiksha Bachao
Andolan Samiti, New Delhi. The lawyer for the petitioners informed
the single-judge bench of Justice Radha Mohan Prasad that about
Rs 1,100 crore had come to Bihar under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
(SSA) but this money could not be utilised.
One of the major
reasons for children being kept out-of-school was the lack of education
of parents. The Public Report on Basic Education (popularly referred
to as the PROBE report) sought to find reasons for both dropouts
and never-enrolment of children in five states (Rajasthan, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar). The reasons for
such high dropout rates among girls include: lack of lavatory facilities
in schools, travel distance to school, lack of concerned and trained
teachers, compulsion to work at home or to earn, etc. Social ethos
aided and abetted with poverty also plays a major role in compelling
the girls to discontinue education after a certain stage. Besides,
high fee rates in public schools alienate the poor students to quit
school, as government schools are seldom serious in providing quality
education. Chances of dropping out are less if either parent has
had at least "some education." States with low dropout
rates are ones that made good strides in education and are the same
ones ahead in socio-economic development and with better lifestyles
to its people.
A recent World
Bank survey found that 25% of government primary school teachers
in India are absent from work. Only 50% of teachers are actually
engaged in the act of teaching while at work, according to the report.
It is quite rare that a teacher actually shows up for class. The
worst offender is Jharkhand (41.9%), followed by Bihar (37.8%) and
Punjab (34.4%). This means that in Bihar if you want into a school
randomly 37.8% of the teachers will be absent. Even higher pay perks
for teachers in Bihar don't help in skipping the school. Another
vital reason is the low expenditure on infrastructure and more on
salary. For example, Over 97% of the primary education budget of
Rs 7200 crore goes towards salary of teachers and other staff. And
only 3% i.e. 216 crore is allocated to cover other areas, which
include school infrastructure, new schools, textbooks, and other
sundry expenditures.
In reply to
another question, the Parliament was told that a report by the National
Institute of Educational Planning and Administration has showed
that 9,292 government primary schools across 581 districts in the
country had no teachers up to September 30, 2004. Also, the report
showed that 121,728 primary schools in the country had only one
teacher each. This is no less a mountainous hurdle in the way of
retaining girls within school premises.
Mid-Day Meal
Scheme introduced in Rajasthan in the government and government-aided
primary schools has had a positive effect on enrolment of children,
particularly the girl child at the elementary level. A survey conducted
by an NGO revealed that the enrollment of the girls registered an
increase in 58% of the schools surveyed while it was found that
quality of education improved in 49% of them. Such initiatives from
NGOs in Bihar could help improve the grim situation also, as there
is always a silver lining in the clouds. In addition, NRIs from
Bihar need to come forward in investing education sector with a
visionary leadership from the political circle, including the government
department. However, all these need the enterprising efforts. The
scenes are changing fast, yet, Bihar has "miles to go"
before it gives weight to human development, especially the education
of girl child.
Education for all continues to be acute problem in India. Despite
the fact that government targets were education for all by 2000.
An estimated facts are as below, 33% of children above age of 7
are illiterate, 42 million are not able to get access to basic education.
And 100 million children are out of the school. The plight of girls
remains considerably worse then the boys. Drop out rates are increased
in recent Years, according to the recent statistics, over 40% of
the children in class 1 to 4 dropped in 1999-2000 compared to 38%
in 1997-1998.
Reduce the drop
out from the school is major challenge. 80%of the poor live in rural
area where barrier to staying in the school can be classified in
following way.
* Lack of schools
approximately 16.6% of the habitants is not served by primary school
with in a distance of 1km.
* In case of
upper primary school 28.5% of the habitants are not served with
in the official distance norm of 3km. poor quality of existing school.
Poor infrastructure of the school, 40% of schools children have
no access to safe drinking Water and 10% schools are rum in thatched
hut.
* Lack of trained
teachers is also the one of the reason of poor attendance.
There
are reasons on the demand side also; these are direct cost, opportunity
cost and social taboos especially in case of girls. Girls are often
taken out of the school to help with family responsibilities such
as caring for the younger siblings; fetching water and cooking at
the time of harvest, as even wage earner go to work in three shifts
during season. Girls are also likely to be taken out of school,
if there is no transportation available to the secondary or high
school parents avoid sending girls.
United Nations
cannot achieve millennium goal, unless India does effective role
in education of its children, especially girls.
|
Drop-out Rates of Girl Child (1997-98)
|
|
State
|
Class
I to V
|
I
to VIII
|
I
to X
|
|
Andhra
Pradesh
|
47.03
|
74.92
|
79.09
|
|
Assam
|
42.43
|
68.7
|
75.66
|
|
Bihar
|
62
|
80.48
|
87.68
|
|
Gujarat
|
33.98
|
64.7
|
72.24
|
|
Haryana
|
15.59
|
35.56
|
53.02
|
|
Himachal
Pradesh
|
31.03
|
26.42
|
53.9
|
|
Jammu
& Kashmir
|
33.63
|
43.38
|
69.28
|
|
Karnataka
|
33.46
|
60.95
|
68.1
|
|
Kerala
|
0
|
0.67
|
19.78
|
|
Madhya
Pradesh
|
27.89
|
59.76
|
76.88
|
|
Maharashtra
|
25.73
|
46.35
|
64.75
|
|
Orissa
|
47.9
|
62.85
|
77.4
|
|
Punjab
|
21.82
|
30.5
|
50.1
|
|
Rajasthan
|
57.99
|
69.73
|
89.25
|
|
Tamil
Nadu
|
16.18
|
34.64
|
65.74
|
|
Uttar
Pradesh
|
55.98
|
57.28
|
71.69
|
|
West
Bengal
|
54.15
|
71.11
|
88.7
|
|
India
|
41.34
|
58.61
|
72.67
|
Education
sector - Budget 2006-07
