Supporting India's commitment to education
for girls
Related pages: India country profile | Millennium
Development Goal 2: Education | Case study: West
Bengal District Primary Education Project | Hilary
Benn: Educating girls is investment in better future for
all (January, 2005)
Image courtesy of Unicef
In India, 20% of children aged between 6 to 14, the
majority of whom are girls, are still not in school (Source:
 UNICEF website). To tackle this problem, the
Government of India amended its constitution in 2003 to make
elementary education a ‘fundamental right’.
And that's why DFID is supporting the Indian government's
universal elementary education programme, Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan (SSA).
This programme is aimed at ensuring that by 2010, all
children in India are receiving eight years of basic education
of acceptable quality, regardless of sex, caste, creed, family
income or location.
Bridging the gap through partnership
Image courtesy of British Council
Investment is important, but the education of girls in
India isn't just a matter of money. Caste, class and other
social issues can mean that children are denied equal
opportunities. For example, the practice of child labour in
some parts of the country means that there is resistance to
the idea of sending children to school, particularly
girls.
So DFID is working with a range of partners to support the
Indian Government to bring these hard to reach out-of-school
children, especially girls, into full time education.
How? The SSA programme has involved increased investments
in class room construction, teacher recruitment and
development. But it has also involved innovative projects such
as ‘Education Camps for Girls’ (Balika Shikshan Shivirs).
These camps give girls a second chance to recover the
missed early years of education by offering 'Residential
Bridge Courses'. Out-of-school girls are identified through
community mobilisation programmes which can reach remote rural
areas.
The 7-9 month residential courses given provide the girls
with the life skills and preparation for re-entry into formal
schools. The benefits of this safe, supportive, learning
environment - away from home - results in:
- Low drop-out rates
- Better academic achievement levels
- Improved health
- Increases in confidence and self esteem.
An estimated quarter of a million girls have benefited from
these courses so far. And that has contributed to the number
of out-of-school children in India falling to 13.5 million in
2005 - a reduction of 6.5 million in just two years (Source:
SSA Second Joint Review Mission, Aide Memoire July 2005).
Key facts
- Educating women is a priority for DFID because, in the
developing world, it makes an enormous difference to their
chances of finding work, raising a family and preventing the
spread of diseases such as HIV and AIDS. The
UK is investing £1.4 billion on education over the next
three years
- Enrolments for 2004/05 among the 6-14 years age group
have reached 94% (201 million children)
- The number of out of school children has fallen from 25
million in 2003 to 13.5 million in March 2005;
- DFID has committed £210 million (2004/05 – 2007/08) as
part of over US $1 billion in donor support programme for
SSA, the largest multi-donor supported education programme
in the world.
- Previously, DFID supported the Lok Jumbish programme in
Rajasthan (£34 million, 1999/00 - 2003/04) that originally
piloted the Residential Bridge Course approach.
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Many women and girls in poorer countries are still finding
it very difficult to get an education or find a job simply because
of their gender. Where this sort of inequality is widespread, women
are unable to secure their future and contribute to the economy.
This makes it much harder for countries to tackle poverty and to
develop.
