Lok Sabha Question No. 518 (STARRED), answered on 2017-04-10
Subject: Girl Education
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: KANWAR SINGH TANWAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. 518 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.04.2017

## Girl Education

## *518 SHRI KANWAR SINGH TANWAR:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that a large number of parents in rural areas are unable to send their children to schools, particularly girls and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the ratio of girl children to total children enrolled in rural areas in the country, State/UTwise;
- (c) the estimated proportion of total education budget released/utilised in this regard during the last three years including the current year, year and State/UT-wise;
- (d) whether the Government provides nutritious food to adolescent girls and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise; and
- (e) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to ensure enrolment of each girl child in the schools?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

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

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED  QUESTION  NO. 518 TO BE ANSWERED  ON  10 th APRIL, 2017 REGARDING ' GIRL EDUCATION' ASKED BY SHRI KANWAR SINGH TANWAR.

(a) & (b): The enrolment of children in schools is captured under Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE) which shows that the percentage of girls enrolled is increasing  every  year  in  rural  areas  both  at  the  elementary  level,  secondary  level  and  higher secondary level. The national level figures are given below:-

(in percentages)

|   Year |   Elementary level (I-VIII) |   Secondary level (IX - X) | Higher Secondary (XI - XII)   |
|--------|-----------------------------|----------------------------|-------------------------------|
|  48.64 |                       45.02 |                      44.13 | 2010-11                       |
|  48.75 |                       47.73 |                      47.44 | 2015-16                       |

Source U-DISE

There is a very small gap between the percentage of girls and boys enrolment in both the urban and rural areas at elementary, secondary and higher secondary level. A table showing the same is at Annexure .

(c): The total allocation and utilisation of Education Budget during the last three years including the current year is as under:-

(in crores)

| Year    |   Budget Allocated | Utilisation   |
|---------|--------------------|---------------|
| 2015-16 |            42219.5 | 41809.28      |
| 2016-17 |            43554   | 42867.80      |
| 2017-18 |            46356.2 | -----         |

The estimated proportion of total budget allocated for the education of girls in the last three years including the current year is as below:

(in crores)

| Sr. No.   | Budget Allocated                            |   2015-16 |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |
|-----------|---------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1         | Department of School Education and Literacy |  12472.1  |  12565.8  |  13655    |
| 2         | Department of Higher Education              |   7446.34 |   8016.21 |   9791.27 |
| Total     | Total                                       |  19918.4  |  20582    |  23446.3  |

The State / UT wise figures are not available.

(d): Under Mid-day Meal Scheme being implemented by the Ministry of Human Resource Development,  central financial assistance is being provided to all States and UTs  for implementation  of  the  scheme.  Under  the  Scheme,  all  States  and  UTs  are  providing  mid-day meals  to  children,  including  adolescent  girls,  studying  in  Classes  I  to  VIII  of  Government, government aided, Special Training Centres and Madrasas and Maqtabs supported under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

Some State Governments like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu  and Telangana and Union Territory Administrations like Puducherry and Lakshadweep are providing mid-day meals to children studying in classes IX, X and XII also, from their own resources.

The Government of India, Ministry of Woman & Child Development is implementing Rajiv  Gandhi  Scheme  for  Empowerment  of  Adolescent  Girls -  Sabla ,  a  Centrally-sponsored scheme  in  205  districts  selected  from  all  the  States/UTs.  The  scheme aims  at  all-round development of adolescent girls (AGs) of 11-18 years (with a focus on all out-of-school AGs).

The  scheme  has  two  major  components: Nutrition  and  Non  Nutrition  Component. Nutrition  component  aims  at  improving  the  health  and  nutritional  status,  the  non  nutrition component addresses the developmental needs of adolescent girls. Under the Nutrition component of the scheme, the out of school Adolescent Girls in the age group of 11-14 years attending  AWCs  and  all  girls  in  the  age  group  of  14-18  years  are  provided  Supplementary Nutrition  containing  600  calories,  18-20  grams  of  protein  and  micronutrients  @  Rs.  5/ beneficiary/day for 300 days in a year. The Nutrition is given in the form of Take Home Ration (THR) or Hot Cooked Meals. In the Non Nutrition Component, out of school adolescent girls of 11-18 years are  provided Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation, health check-up & referral services, nutrition & health education, ARSH counseling/guidance on family welfare, life skill education,  guidance on accessing public services and vocational training (only 16-18  year old adolescent girls).

(e): Universal  enrolment  is  the  first  goal  of  Sarva  Shiksha  Abhiyan,  a  programme  for universalisation  of  elementary  education  and  all  efforts  are  being  made  to  bring  all  children including girls to school. SSA has provided 2.04 lakh primary and 1.59 upper primary schools for ensuring universal access.  SSA strategies for promotion of girls education include inter-alia,

opening  of  schools  in  the  neighbourhood  to  make  access  easier  for  girls,  appointment  of additional teachers including women teachers, free textbooks, free uniforms, separate toilets for girls, teachers' sensitization programmes  to promote girls participation, gender-sensitive teaching-learning  materials  including  textbooks.  In  addition,  the  Kasturba  Gandhi  Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) have been opened in educationally backward blocks where the female rural literacy rate is below the national average, to provide residential upper primary schools for girls from SC/ST/OBC/Muslim and BPL families.

For children living in remote or sparsely populated areas, SSA provides for residential schools,  Hostels,  transportation  and  escort  facilities.  All  States  undertake  massive  awareness generation campaigns and enrolment drives at the beginning of academic years. The focus is on areas with high concentration of Out of School Children.

Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), is a programme for universalisation of secondary  education  and  it  has  targeted  interventions  for  girls.  The  RMSA  provides  for strengthening of secondary schools and opening of new schools, additional teachers, residential quarters for teachers in remote/hilly areas, girls hostels in educationally backward blocks, gender sensitization of teachers  and separate toilet blocks for  girls,  girls activity  room in schools etc. The National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE) seeks to reduce drop-outs and promote enrolment of girls especially those belonging to SC/ST communities, by providing funds for a fixed deposit at class IX level. In addition, exemption from paying tuition fee in Kendriya Vidyalayas, and 33% reservation for girls in Navodaya Vidyalayas, have also been implemented.

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