Girl Child Education

Educate a man, you educate one person, educate a woman, you educate a complete family.
India is a young country and one of the primary drivers of a young nation is education. The Right to
Education is now enshrined in the Indian constitution and is one of the principal requirements for a nation
to flourish and achieve its economic and social potential.
To ensure that education reaches every child, it is imperative that the children study in healthy and active
schools, schools that offer basic amenities and a healthy environment for children to come to school.
Two-thirds of the world's 880 million illiterate adults are women. Girls are more than 70 percent of the
125 million children who don't have a school to attend. Significantly more girls than boys enrolled in the
first grade fail to complete the first cycle of primary school.
Social traditions and deep-rooted religious and cultural beliefs are most often the barriers to expanding
girls' educational opportunities in undeveloped countries around the world.
Reports estimate that more than 50 percent of girls in India fail to enroll in school and those who do are
likely to drop out by the age of 12.
As in a series of other aspects, the girl child is also discriminated against extensively in the right to
education, even basic at times.
Lack of education denies the girl child, the knowledge and skills needed to advance their status.
Education enables the child to realize her full potential, to think, question and judge independently; to be
a wise decision-maker, develop civic sense and learn to respect, love his fellow human beings and to be a
good citizen.
Figures also report that there is discrimination even in the field of higher education. At least a 40% of
girls are not allowed to pursue higher studies, due to the conservative familial ideologies.
Several studies have revealed that lack of basic amenities like Toilets, Access to Water and Basic
Infrastructure create an unwelcome environment in schools, which leads to higher rate of absenteeism,
finally resulting into drop outs.
Girl child in such areas suffer the most. It is estimated that over 50% of rural schools in India have non-
functional or no toilets. As the girl enters adolescence, she at many times involuntarily sits at home just
because there are no proper, separate toilets for girls in rural schools. Lack of proper water and sanitation
facilities in schools in rural India continues to remain a huge challenge.
I ask you all so earnestly to open girls schools in every village and try to uplift them. If the
Conditions of women are raised, then their children will, by their noble actions, glorify the name of
the Country. Swami Vivekananda
Todays girl child will be the mother of tomorrow. As a mother she can give her child a sound nursing
and capable upbringing. A woman has the maximum impact on the social, economical decisions making
in the family generally. At micro level, educated woman help in making the whole family including the
older family members, understand the values and importance of education, and at macro level, educated
women add to the social and economical development of the nation.
Girls education is like sowing the seed which gives rise to green, cheerful and full grown family plant. In
ancient time girls education had a significant place in the society.
Womens social conditions started deteriorating with the passage of time. Instead of giving them
education, they are being subjected to sufferings under Purdah System, Child marriage. In some states
female infanticide is prevalent even today. A new culture of elimination of female fetus has gradually
become rampant discrimination between the education of girl and boy is common in rural areas. Parents
feel that the education of girls is wastage as they will go to their husbands after marriage and more dowry
have to be paid for a more educated girl. The poverty and illiteracy among the people is also big reason
for not sending the girls to schools and colleges. But things are being changed, though slowly, but
gradually.
Four years ago, the World Bank upgraded India from a "poor" country to a middle-income one. As
commentators were at pains to point out in November, when the UK announced it would end aid to India
from 2015, the country has a space programme, 48 billionaires and its own aid budget. Under its Right to
Education (RTE) Act, passed in 2009, a free and compulsory education is guaranteed for all children aged
between six and 14, and the most recent figures for primary school enrolment stand at an impressive-
sounding 98%.
But going to school, as those monitoring progress on the millennium development goal of achieving
universal primary education have increasingly realized, is one thing: the quality of the education you get
is another. Within government schools pupils face numerous challenges. Overcrowded classrooms, absent
teachers and unsanitary conditions are common complaints, and can lead parents to decide it is not worth
their child going to school.
The Global Campaign for Education (GCE), a coalition of 26 NGOs and teaching unions, wants all
nations to allocate at least 6% of GDP to education. India has been promising that since 1968, but the
figure has never topped 4%, and it is currently 3.7%. It is an issue of political will, rather than a lack of
cash. Education is not a vote-winning issue in a system of frequent elections, where pledges need to be
deliverable immediately.