Serious about educating Rita

When I was doing my post-graduation in physics in the early ’70s, there was a general hope that Indian women would have more of a presence in the fields of science and engineering in the not-too-distant future. More than 30 years later, that hope remains elusive. A look at drop-out rates will reveal that more girls drop out of school at the higher levels of schooling. However, the good news is that recent trends indicate a heartening fall in such drop-out levels. The nation should capitalise on this positive trend and accelerate its momentum by providing incentives and support to girls.

In this context, the initiatives that the Government of India announced recently to promote the education of the girl child assume immense significance. These steps underline the fact that mere literacy is no longer sufficient to harness the power of the Indian woman. As active members of a technology-driven community, both men and women need to acquire certain skills, competencies and knowledge in order to effectively participate in a globalising world. Such an outcome is possible only if more and more girls are encouraged to continue their studies in schools, universities and professional colleges.

The CBSE and the UGC have launched two separate schemes designed to empower the girl child. The schemes involve the grant of merit scholarships to students to pursue higher studies in universities and professional institutions, and beyond. The single girl child has been accorded a special status under these schemes. Recently, yet another scheme was announced, under which scholarships will be offered to every single girl child in Classes XI and XII who has scored 60 per cent or more in her Class X examination. This is laudable. Instead of asking schools to waive fees, the responsibility to shape the future now rests with individual students. What we now need is active support from all willing partners. With this measure, any single girl child serious about her studies will get a chance to continue her education after Class X onwards until the completion of her professional courses/ post-graduate studies without any financial constraint.

Depending on the success of the scheme and resource availability, the plan to extend the facility to the lower class is worth considering. The Kendriya Vidyalayas are already giving fee waivers to single girl children from Class VI to XII. I am sure more and more agencies will now come forward with such initiatives, thus widening the scope for innovative ways to promote the education of girls in India. These steps, some may believe, are to prevent girls from dropping out of the school system. That is not the case. These measures are meant for the larger objective of correcting the country’s skewed gender ratio. A provision of mere literacy is not enough to empower girls to acquire the life skills required to face both consumerist attitudes as well as injustice based on gender.

There is some genuine concern over this scheme being limited to a single girl child. My only answer to this is that every initiative has scope for improvement and enlargement. A good and modest beginning has been made by focusing on a specific target group. The future will surely see many more initiatives of this kind and they will go a long way to empower young people who find themselves on the margins of society currently.

The writer is chairman, Central Board of Secondary Education, Delhicbsedli@nda.vsnl.net.in