New Delhi: Nearly 40 per cent girls aged 15-18 years are out of school. The COVID-19 pandemic will disproportionately impact girls. According to estimates, nearly 10 million secondary school girls in India could drop out of school due to the pandemic, putting them at risk of early marriage, early pregnancy, poverty, trafficking and violence.
On the occasion of National Girl Child Day and International Day of Education on Sunday, Right to Education Forum raised its concern over the increasing rate of dropouts in girls. The organisation which is a network of 10,000 civil society organizations across 19 states, educationist and Teachers Associations working for universalization of school education had also released a Policy Brief on January 22 as part of the Global Week of Action against Inequality led by the Fight Inequality Alliance.
The policy brief recommends the need for the extension of the Right to Education Act to cover all children in its purview. It also calls for measures to ensure a safe & secure environment for girls, ensure education is gender responsive in terms of quality and equity and promotes girls’ empowerment and life skills. Care is also needed to ensure that the governance system and financing support equitable and inclusive girls’ education.
The policy brief was virtually launched in presence of 300 participants. A keynote address was given by Dr. Shantha Sinha, former Chairperson, NCPCR and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, who highlighted the importance of educating girls by mentioning how schools can become “instruments of social change.
“There is a link between school and democracy: we have to ask ourselves- are schools inclusive, and how can they be made more inclusive? The tasks boys are made to do in school are clean blackboard, girls are made to sweep. Small discriminatory practices exist everywhere which girls accept without questioning. Sexual exploitation and harassment compound the issues for girls. These are political issues that need to be addressed and the school system strengthened. Schools must become hubs for democracy, equality and justice," he said.
Ambarish Rai, National Convener RTE Forum, highlighted how corporatisation and privatisation exacerbate inequalities in education make it difficult for the children of India’s poor to access education. On the occasion of International Education Day and National Girl Child Day (24 January), we want to reiterate our commitment to ensuring an equal education system. At this time, India needs a common school system to not only addresses issues of migrants, Dalits, backward groups, girls but also realize the constitutional commitment to equality. We have requested the Finance Minister to ensure Education is adequately funded and not placed in ‘C’ category in the budget. To that end we are also running a petition," said Rai.
Anjela Taneja from the Fight Inequality Alliance/Oxfam India said “While India’s elites embraced digital education and India’s EdTech companies made billions of dollars in profits, girls’ education has suffered with the number of out of school children projected to double. Given that even before the pandemic, the wealth of the 69 top billionaires was more than the national budget, it is time for more progressive taxation to ensure adequate resources for girls’ education”.
A panel discussion included representation from the State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights of Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Jaya Singh, member of Uttar Pradesh SCPCR highlighted that the criticality of the work with boys and parents to change gender norms and parents.
Dr. Sukanya Bose from NIPFP said, “Girls are more dependent on public education and hence reduced resources will disproportionately affect their education.” Ajay Kumar Singh, Joint Director, SSA-SCERT Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, reiterated the need to train teachers to ensure they promote gender equality within classrooms.
