Lok Sabha Question No. 539 (STARRED), answered on 2018-04-04
Subject: School Dropouts among Muslim Girls
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN, ANWHAR RAAJHAA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *539 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.04.2018

## SCHOOL DROPOUTS AMONG MUSLIM GIRLS

## *539.  SHRI ASHOK SHANKARAO CHAVAN: SHRI A. ANWHAR RAAJHAA:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the school dropout rate among Muslim girls has come down;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  percentage  of  dropout  rate among Muslim girls during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise;
- (c) whether the Government is working towards educational empowerment of minorities, especially girls and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to bring down dropout rate among Muslim girls?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI)

- (a)  to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

*****

## STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *539 ASKED BY ASHOK SHANKARAO  CHAVAN  AND  SHRI  A.  ANWHAR  RAAJHAA    FOR REPLY  ON  04.04.2018  REGARDING  'SCHOOL  DROPOUTS  AMONG MUSLIM GIRLS'

(a) to (d): As  per  the  Unified  District  Information  System  for  Education (UDISE)  database  of  National  University  of  Educational  Planning  and Administration,  Ministry  of  Human  Resource  Development,  the  State/UTwise details of average annual dropout rate of Muslim girls at elementary level for the period 2014-15 to 2016-17, are at Annexure. The reduction in school dropout rate has remarkably improved in some States like Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, etc.

The  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  reduce  the  dropout  rate  include inter-alia, strengthening of school infrastructure and facilities such as school buildings,  hostel  buildings,  degree  colleges,  additional  classrooms,  girls toilets  in  schools,  provisioning  for  additional  teachers,  provision  for  free textbooks and uniforms to students, grant of bicycles etc.  Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas provides residential  upper  primary  schools  for  girls  from  Scheduled  Castes  (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Muslim/minority minorities.

Besides, the centrally-sponsored scheme of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) envisages enhancing the quality of education by providing a  secondary  school  within  a  reasonable  distance  of  every  habitation, improving  quality  of  education  imparted  at  secondary  level,  removal  of gender socio-economic and disability barriers. The educational development  of  children belonging to educationally  backward  groups including SCs, STs and minorities is the special focus of RMSA.  Further, several  provisions  have  also  been  made  under  RMSA  for  improving education  among  girls  and  effectively  addressing  gender  issues  which include construction of girls' hostels, in-service training on gender sensitization,  construction  of  toilets  for  girls,  construction  of  residential quarters  for  female  teachers,  conduct  of  self-defense  training  for  girls, conduct of adolescent education programmes including awareness camps for  girls  on  health  and  sanitation  issues,  stipend  for  girls  with  disabilities, vocationalization of secondary education, etc.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) has also implemented schemes for educational empowerment of students particularly belonging to the minority communities notified under section 2(c) of the NCM Act 1992 viz Muslims,

Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis. At least 30% of the targets under the following schemes are earmarked for girl students:-

- (i) Pre-Matric  Scholarship  Scheme,  Post-Matric  Scholarship  Scheme and Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme - for educational empowerment and in the last three years, minority girls constituted more than 46% of the total minority community beneficiaries.
- (ii) Maulana Azad National Fellowship -for Research Fellows' empowerment.
- (iii) Naya  Savera  -  Free  coaching  and  Allied  Scheme  -  to  enhance skills  and  knowledge  of  students  and  candidates  for  employment through  competitive  examination  and  admission  in  technical  and professional courses.
- (iv)  Padho Pardes - Scheme for interest subsidy on educational loans for overseas studies in technical and professional courses.
- (v) Nai  Manzil  -  Scheme  for  formal  school  education  &  skilling  of school dropouts.

This Ministry through the Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) has implemented  'Begum  Hazrat  Mahal  National  Scholarship'  scheme  to provide scholarships to meritorious girls belonging to minority communities studying in classes IX to XII.

Details of the above schemes are available on the website of this Ministry (www.minorityaffairs.gov.in) and MAEF (www.maef.nic.in).

Annexure  referred  in  reply  to  parts  (a)  to  (d)  of  the  Lok  Sabha  Starred Question  No.  *539,  asked  by  Shri  Ashok  Shankarao  Chavan  and  Shri  A. Anwhar Raajhaa for reply on 04.04.2018 regarding 'School Dropouts Among Muslim Girls'

| Annual Average    | Dropout Rate of Muslim Girls at elementary level   | Dropout Rate of Muslim Girls at elementary level   | Dropout Rate of Muslim Girls at elementary level   |
|-------------------|----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| State/UT          | 2014-15                                            | 2015-16                                            | 2016-17*                                           |
| A & N Islands     | 1.19                                               | 1.21                                               | 0.00                                               |
| Andhra Pradesh    | 5.98                                               | 5.96                                               | 1.78                                               |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 14.69                                              | 0.00                                               | 0.69                                               |
| Assam             | 12.10                                              | 18.30                                              | 7.92                                               |
| Bihar             | 2.18                                               | 0.52                                               | 6.95                                               |
| Chandigarh        | 0.00                                               | 0.00                                               | 0.00                                               |
| Chhattisgarh      | 0.00                                               | 3.00                                               | 7.89                                               |
| D & N Haveli      | 0.00                                               | 2.33                                               | 3.04                                               |
| Daman & Diu       | 9.75                                               | 0.00                                               | 0.00                                               |
| Delhi             | 0.16                                               | 0.00                                               | -                                                  |
| Goa               | 3.92                                               | 0.00                                               | 0.00                                               |
| Gujarat           | 5.72                                               | 4.87                                               | 10.18                                              |
| Haryana           | 7.78                                               | 27.89                                              | 9.55                                               |
| Himachal Pradesh  | 9.18                                               | 0.00                                               | 18.29                                              |
| Jammu & Kashmir   | 5.87                                               | 7.83                                               | 14.17                                              |
| Jharkhand         | 8.74                                               | 11.30                                              | 3.59                                               |
| Karnataka         | 2.82                                               | 0.00                                               | 0.88                                               |
| Kerala            | 1.68                                               | 0.00                                               | 0.00                                               |
| Lakshadweep       | 0.00                                               | 1.27                                               | 0.00                                               |
| Madhya Pradesh    | 14.13                                              | 7.23                                               | 5.82                                               |
| Maharashtra       | 2.52                                               | 2.95                                               | 4.02                                               |
| Manipur           | 14.76                                              | 8.42                                               | 18.28                                              |
| Meghalaya         | 12.72                                              | 10.02                                              | 13.18                                              |
| Mizoram           | 27.24                                              | 0.00                                               | 36.99                                              |
| Nagaland          | 0.00                                               | 0.00                                               | 13.81                                              |
| Odisha            | 0.00                                               | 8.59                                               | 0.00                                               |
| Puducherry        | 3.47                                               | 1.78                                               | 0.00                                               |
| Punjab            | 0.00                                               | 0.71                                               | 5.71                                               |
| Rajasthan         | 20.97                                              | 4.72                                               | 11.55                                              |
| Sikkim            | 24.24                                              | 4.93                                               | 2.05                                               |
| Tamil Nadu        | 5.36                                               | 1.75                                               | 1.07                                               |
| Telangana         | 1.44                                               | 1.58                                               | 0.50                                               |
| Tripura           | 4.43                                               | 6.90                                               | 0.77                                               |
| Uttar Pradesh     | 15.22                                              | 16.95                                              | 6.22                                               |
| Uttarakhand       | 4.32                                               | 10.63                                              | 8.94                                               |
| West Bengal       | 0.62                                               | 0.93                                               | 4.34                                               |