Gujarat model? 73.4% girls in age group 15-17 attend school, worst than all but one major Indian states

Worst performers: % girls, age 15-17, attending schools

By Our Representative
Latest Sample Registration System (SRS) data, released by the Census of India this June, are likely to create flutter regarding the "claims" that Gujarat could well be the role model for the rest of India for its efforts to "improve" school enrollment, especially of girls. They are enough for policy makers to sit up and think about what has gone wrong while projecting Gujarat as a model.
With just 73.4 per cent of girls in the age group 15-17 attending school in Gujarat, the state ranks worst compared to all 21 major states, selected by SRS for comparison, with the sole exception of Rajasthan (72.1 per cent).
SRS data are based on the data collected in 2014, when Narendra Modi quit Gujarat as chief ministership to become Prime Minister after his 13 years' rule, characterized variously as an "example" of good governance.
The data reveal that the all-India average for girls attending schools is higher by more than 10 per cent than that of Gujarat -- 83.8 per cent.
The data come after more than a decade-long drive to improve girl child enrollment in schools in Gujarat through what is called the annual Kenya Kelavni programme, in which all ministers, government officials – IAS, IPS officials and other class one babus – seek to “ensure” cent per cent enrollment in schools.
The state which ranks the best in this regard is, like earlier, Kerala, with 97 per cent girls in the age group 15-17 attending schools, followed by 95.9 per cent in Maharashtra, 94.3 per cent each in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, 93.7 per cent in Jammu & Kashmir, and 91.1 per cent in Punjab.

Best performers: % girls, age 15-17, attending schools

Even the so-called backward states are found to have performed much better than Gujarat, with Bihar's 83.3 per cent girls in the age group 15-17 attending school.
Other so-called BIMARU states performing better are: Assam 84.8 per cent, Jharkhand 84.1 per cent, Chhattisgarh 90.1 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 79.2, Assam 84.8 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 79.4 and Odisha 75.3 per cent.
Even in the age group 10-14, except for two states -- Bihar (90.8 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (90.0 per cent) -- Gujarat is the worst performer, with 91.7 per cent of girls attending school. This is against the all-India average of 93.4 per cent. Here, again, Kerala is the best performer, with 99.5 per cent girls attending school, followed by Punjab 96.8 per cent and Kerala 96.2 per cent.
As for boys, Gujarat's performance is a little better, though worse than majority of Indian states. Thus, in the age group 15-17, out of the 21 major states, all other states with the exception for four (Odisha 77.7 per cent, Rajasthan 78.7 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 79.2 per cent and West Bengal 79.1 per cent) have higher proportion of boys going to school than Gujarat (91.7 per cent).
Even the United Nations considers SRS' "annual estimates" as "fairly reliable estimates" in the "intercensal periods." The UN says, "SRS estimates are generally valid and reliable for the country as a whole and for bigger states with more than 10 million population."
Based on samples collected across India between censuses, SRS data are part of the Census of India framework, which in turn is part of the Union home ministry.

Comments

Nobel laureates join international figures, seek release of Bhima Koregaon accused activists

Nobel laureates Olga Tokarczuk, Wole Soyinka Counterview Desk As many as 57 top international personalities, including Nobel laureates, academics, human rights defenders, lawyers cultural personalities, and members of Parliament of European countries, have urged the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India to ensure immediate release of human rights defenders in India “into safe conditions”.

Buddhist shrines massively destroyed by Brahmanical rulers in "pre-Islamic" era: Historian DN Jha's survey

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Russia, China to call the shots in Middle East, as Muslim nations turn into house of cards

By Haider Abbas* Only a naive would buy that the ‘situation of ceasefire’ between the State of Israel and Hamas would continue, as if the foiled attempt to demolish Al Aqsa this time, is not be repeated, if not in any near future then in sometime to come. Israel already has spurned the ‘ceasefire’ by storming Al Aqsa after the Friday prayers on May 21.

Collapse of healthcare system? Why 90% of Covid patients treated at home survived

By Bobby Ramakant, Sandeep Pandey* Well known Hindustani classical singer Padma Vibhu shan Channulal Mishra, chosen as one of the proposers of Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha elections, lost his wife and elder daughter to Covid in private hospitals in Varanasi. Younger daughter has accused Medwin Hospital of charging Rs 1.5 lakh for treatement of her sister and not being able to explain the cause of death. Pandit Channulal Mishra has asked for a probe into his daughter’s death from the Chief Minister. The family has also asked for the CCTV footage of the ward where deceased daughter was admitted for a week.

Hunger, lack of food security behind India's 'slip' in UN's sustainable development rank

By Dr Gian Singh* According to a report released by the United Nations on June 6, 2021, India's ranking of achieving Sustainable Development based on the 17 Social Development Goals (SDGs) set by the 193 countries in the 2003 agenda, which was 115th last year, has slipped to 117th position this year. India ranks not only the lowest among the BRICS countries -- Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa but also below the four South Asian countries -- Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Modi-led regime 'contributed' 60% to rise of global poverty, yet Hindutva is intact

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* In recent years, the Hindutva politics has caused long term damage to India and Indians. The so called 56-inch macho PM, the propaganda master manufactures and survives all political crisis including the current mismanagement of the Coronavirus pandemic in India. In spite of deaths and destitutions, the social, cultural, economic and religious base of Hindutva is intact.

Rooted in mistrust? Covid-19’s march into rural India is a very different ball game

By Sudhir Katiyar* As the Covid-19 virus penetrates rural India, the rural communities are responding very differently from their urban counterparts who rushed to the hospitals. The rural communities are avoiding the public health facilities and any mention of the disease. The note argues that this supposedly irrational response is based on a deep-seated mistrust of the state by the rural communities. It can not be resolved with routine Information, Education and Communication (IEC) measures suggested in the Government of India SOP for tackling Covid-19 in rural areas.

Courageous, in-depth attempt to confirm common spiritual values of Christ, Buddha

By RB Sreekumar, IPS* All religions, both theistic and atheistic designed conceptual and practical architecture, for holistic and comprehensive elevation and enlightenment of humanity. PK Vijayan, in his novel “Nirvana of Jesus Christ” (Notion Press, 2020) through creative imagination portrayed personality evolution of the two progenitors of God-centric and sagaciously logical major religions – Jesus Christ of Christianity and Gautama Buddha of Buddhism.

Why hasn't Govt of India responded to US critique of freedom of religion under Modi?

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* About two weeks ago, on May 12, 2021, the US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken released in Washington the ‘2020 International Religious Freedom Report.’ This official annual report of the US Government details the status of religious freedom in nearly 200 foreign countries and territories and describes US actions to support religious freedom worldwide. Mandated by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, this report highlights the fact that ‘religious freedom is both a core American value and a universal human right’.

Counterview

Search This Blog