India - Action for Girls’ Education

Aaditi Isaac - Dec 12, 2011

Nearly two-thirds of children who are denied their right to education are female. At the World Education Forum, Dakar, 2000, countries agreed on ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, will have access to complete free and compulsory education of good quality. As we approach 2012, what is the status of girls' education in India?

A focus on girls' education was put in place since the 1986 National Policy on Education and the 1992 Programme of Action, followed by the SSA programme launched in 2001, National Curriculum Framework in 2005 and the National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education in 2010. These policies were complemented by other schemes such as National Programme for the Education of Girls at the Elementary Level, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme, both ensuring inclusion and quality education for girls. The Mahila Samakhya programme was launched in 10 states targeting marginalised sections of rural women. Access to education was also facilitated by separate schools for girls, availability of open learning resources, residential schooling, coaching facilities; scholarships, textbooks, uniforms and transport including bicycles. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (known as RTE) Act, 2010, charted a new roadmap for gender equality in education in India.

DELIVERY MECHANISM

Despite all these efforts, surprisingly , a large number of girls still remain outside the education system . According to Karin Hulshof, Unicef India representative, out of 81% girls joining school at the primary level, around 50% drop out at the secondary level because of factors such as child marriage, child labour, etc. "We must not look at girls as a liability but as an asset. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Right to Education (RTE) Act are tools that can empower the girl child. We need an effective delivery mechanism and have more gender-friendly classrooms," she said.

R Govinda, vice-chancellor , National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), feels that though there are various policies in place, when it comes to implementation, there is a wide gap. "Through various policies we have placed the education of the girl child in the foreground. I feel, policywise , we are on the right track. The RTE has made education a fundamental right. After 25 years of prioritising girls' education, we have seen a tremendous change. But a lot more needs to be done."

He further adds, "We can address the problem by engaging at different levels. By getting all girls in school, by examining what happens in school by paying attention to the socio-emotional conditions of the girl child, what the child learns in class in terms of the quality, by providing trained female teachers and keeping a track of what happens to girls beyond schools. That is when the expectations of parents and the community come into effect."

NATIONAL VISION

The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and ministry for human resources development (MHRD) drafted a 'National vision for Girls' Education in India - Roadmap to 2015' with an aim to building a comprehensive approach towards girls' education, which was discussed at a twoday national convention in the Capital recently.
The Vision Document provides a framework for action for girls' education in India. The plan of action for the next one year is the Shiksha Ka Haq Abhiyan which will be the cornerstone for the implementation of RTE. The government will engage with the community , media, states, and other stakeholders to create an environment and mechanism to ensure implementation at every level for girls' education.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

Implement strong legislation outlawing child labour, genderbased violence, and harassment of girls Provide residential facilities, transport and other incentives to attract qualified female teachers to particularly rural and remote schools Address safety issues of girls Gender-friendly classrooms and separate toilets

BARRIERS

Household/Community Level

Direct and indirect costs of schooling Status of women Self-esteem and self-perception Child marriage, child labour, domestic/household work

RTE RATIONALE

A moral responsibility on every parent/guardian to admit their children to school The right to be admitted to a class appropriate to her age Inclusion of women in school management committees through 50% representation

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http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12057&LangID=E

INDIA - UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION HAILS DECISION OF SUPREME COURT UPHOLDING RIGHT TO EDUCATION FOR ALL.

GENEVA - (13 April 2012) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Kishore Singh, on Friday hailed the decision by the Indian Supreme Court to uphold the constitutional validity of the provisions in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The Act mandates that 25 per cent of places in both private and public schools in the country should be reserved for socially and economically disadvantaged groups.

The court decision, handed down yesterday, follows petitions by some private providers of education who complained that the law violated their autonomy. The court ruled that the Act applies uniformly to government and unaided private schools across the country except for unaided private minority schools.

“Exclusion and poverty remain the most important obstacles to the realization of the right to education in all regions of the world,” Mr. Singh said. “India’s Supreme Court decision establishing that both public and private education institutions should respond to the needs of those who are economically deprived is an important step towards ensure better education opportunities for all, in line with India’s constitutional and international obligations. This judgment should inspire other countries.”

“Human rights law is clear - no one should be deprived of basic education because it is unaffordable,” Mr. Singh added.

The UN Special Rapporteur emphasized that the adoption of strong national laws regulating both private and public education is crucial to ensuring better opportunities for marginalized groups and preserving education as a public good. “With the rapid expansion of private education, strong laws are needed to ensure that the private sector complies with national education norms and human rights principles relating to the right to education.”

ENDS

Kishore Singh is the Special Rapporteur on the right to education since August 2010. He is an Indian international law expert, who has worked for many years with UNESCO for the promotion of the right to education, and advised a number of international, regional and national entities on right to education issues. Throughout his career, Mr. Singh has supported the development of the right to education in its various dimensions and worked for its better understanding as an internationally recognized right.