17,590 Girls Aged 11 To 14 Put Back To School In 9 Months: Women And Child Development Ministry

As many as 17,590 girls in the age group of 11 to 14 years have been mainstreamed back to school since April, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Ministry Virendra Kumar told the Lok Sabha on Friday.

"In 2018-19, as reported by states/UTs, 17,590 girls have been mainstreamed to schools," he said.

In India, the education of the girl child is a big issue as there is rampant gender bias, child marriage, female infanticide etc - all of which propound the belief that girls are somehow lesser than boys and do not "need" to study as they are meant for house-related work and child-raising.

Puberty is another major reason behind girl students dropping out from schools as most govt schools in rural areas do not have decent and hygienic facilities for girls.

Information/guidance about entry and re-entry into formal schools and motivation to do the same is provided in coordination with Education Department and with the support from School Management Committees (SMCs) and teachers, said Virendra Kumar.

More about how the girls were put back to school

1. The girls were mainstreamed under the Scheme for Adolescent Girls.

2. In this scheme, girls who dropped out were counselled and motivated to go back to formal schooling or skill training, said WCD minister to the Lok Sabha.

3. "Under the nutrition part of the scheme, the government is providing nutrition support of 600 calories, 18-20 grams of protein and micronutrients at Rs 9.50 per beneficiary per day for 300 days in a year to out-of-school adolescent girls (11 to 14 years)," he said.

4. "Under the Nutrition component, as reported by the states, 5.9 lakh out-of-school adolescent girls of age 11 to 14 years have been provided nutrition, 1.97 lakh received iron and folic acid supplementation, 1.67 lakh received nutrition and health education and life skill education during 2018-19 (financial year)," he said.

5. The non-nutrition component of the scheme has a built-in factor to motivate out-of-school girls to go back to formal schooling or skill training, he added.

6. "Under the scheme, Kishori Health Cards were given to all adolescent girls that are maintained at the Anganwadi Centre (AWC). The details of achievements and success made under the scheme are marked on these cards," he said. The card also carries important milestones of adolescent girls.

(Source: IndiaToday Education and PTI)