The result was opening of a series of night schools for girls, who could attend the classes in the evenings after finishing off their home chores and farm work. The girls' parents offered space - cow sheds, courtyards and patches of farm lands near their homes to double up as schools at night. Today, the NGO is running at least 50 such schools in the district, considered among the most backward girls' literacy in India. There are many more such success stories be it a Cote D'Ivoire's Education and Training Support project that encourages community involvement in school management, or the Bangladesh case where poorer and less educated parents are sending their daughters in larger numbers to schools. What is creditable about the country is that it has nearly managed to wipe out the perennial gender gap.
Girls now outnumber boys at primary level.
This has been achieved because of a few affirmative actions taken by the state and NGOs. These include incentives for parents in the form of government stipends for girls attending secondary schools. The other positive change is the increased rate at which children from the poorer families and rural areas are coming to schools thanks to the government's 'food for education programme' and the NGO schools which are specifically designed to cater to the needs of these children. Pre and in-service gender sensitisation of the teachers has played a crucial role in infusing the students with confidence and skills to lead a meaningful life. The tasks towards ensuring girls education we all know, are daunting but not impossible.