Patna: In a lovely development, the gender gap in the state-run schools in Bihar has finally been closed thanks to the sudden enthusiasm among girls to enrol in schools.
According to a report of the education department, a total of 797,075 girls enrolled in grade nine in 2020-21 against 731,903 boys who got admission in the same class.
The change can be noticed from the fact that the number of girls taking admission in grade nine was just 156,092 in 2007-08. This amply indicates how the girls have made significant leaps in matter of their enrolment in schools as a result of sustained campaign by the state government to lure the girl children to schools.
One of the key factors which proved to be the game changers was the introduction of a free cycle scheme for girls by the Bihar government, experts said. Under this scheme launched in 2006, the state government has been giving Rs2,500 to every girl upon passing grade eight examination to buy a bicycle so that she could go to schools every day. This has worked wonders in the education sector with the more girls seeking admissions in school every year.
“A remarkable aspect of this project is that this has benefitted students from all sections of the society. It does not exclude anybody on the basis of caste, creed or economic background. The only eligibility criterion is that the beneficiary should be studying in Class VIII and above in a government-run school,” said chief minister.
Matter of concern
According to a study conducted by Pratham, a non-profit organisation, the highest school enrolment leap of 13 per cent was registered in the 2006-10 period. Currently, the state has less than one per cent out of school children although the attendance and the quality of education remain a matter of concern in state-run schools.
The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a further blow to education in India in general and Bihar in particular. According to a latest UNICEF report, as many as 1.5 million schools remained shut during 2020 as a result of the coronavirus lockdown which badly affected the study of 247 million children enrolled in schools in India.
“In India, closure of 1.5 million schools due to the pandemic and lockdown in 2020 has impacted 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools. In addition, there are over six million girls and boys who were already out of school even before the COVID-19 crisis began,” a statement from the UN agency has said.
The report also stated that online education is not an option for many children as only one in four has access to digital devices and internet connectivity.
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