India's 40% teenage girls drop out due to lack of safe, secure atmosphere in school, college

By A Representative
Nearly 40 per cent of adolescent girls in the age group 15-18 drop out of schools in India due to lack of safe and secure atmosphere in education institutions. Pointing this out, Ambarish Rai, national convenor, Right to Education (RTE) Forum, told a seminar in Delhi that even after 72 years of our Independence, India has failed in provide safe and secure atmosphere for girls in their schools or educational institutions.
Speaking at the national consultation on safe and secure education for girls, organised by the RTE Form at the India International Centre, Rai regretted that only 12.7 per cent schools are RTE compliant, pointing out that the RTE Act provides for education in a safe and secure atmosphere. “It is sad to see that there are moves to weaken this Act. Commercialisation and privatisation are ruining our education in a big way. This should be stop,” he added.
Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi, who heads Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust, said, “Time and again we have seen that safety issue has taken its heavy toll on girls’ future, particularly their education. As parents or guardians, we tend to think it’s meaningless to educate our girls as they have to go to other’s home after marriage. But it’s a completely wrong approach. We must remember that it’s the education which will guide our girls when they go away from us after marriage.”
Priyank Kanoongo, chairperson, National Council for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), acknowledging that safe and secure education for girls, said, “A collective effort is required to change this situation. Parents, members of SMCs and officials, all have to come together to undertake his task.”
Others who spoke on the occasion included Dr Ashok Pankaj, director, Council for Social Development; Prof Geeta Menon of Jamia Milia Islamia University; Dr RC Dabas, and senior-vice president, All India Primary Teachers’ Association.

The making of a self-made woman: How eighty sheep changed everything for Kalawati Ninama

By Vikas Meshram* About forty-two kilometres from Rajasthan's Banswara district, in the tribal heartland of Ghatol block, lies the small village of Ubapana. This is where Kalawati Ninama, her husband Dhulji, and their four children make their home. Their days unfold much like those of their neighbours—bustling mornings, long hours of farm labour through the afternoon, and evenings spent tending livestock. For this family, farming and livestock were once simply a means of putting food on the table. Today, they have become the sturdy foundation of something far greater: genuine self-sufficiency.

India has spent billions on skilling. Where are the jobs?

By Vikas Gupta India loves the photograph of a certificate ceremony. A minister on a stage. A banner bearing the word “skill.” Young people holding folders that promise a future. It is a reassuring image because it tells us the problem has a manageable answer: train the young, make them job-ready, and work will follow.

BAPS, the Eiffel Tower and the curious silence on secularism

By Rajiv Shah I was a little surprised to see how some of those whom I respect for taking a firm stand on patriarchal issues reacted to the manner in which they responded to the recent incident in Paris, in which women employees of the Eiffel Tower were asked to remain "invisible" on September 5 when 100 BAPS sadhus visited one of the world's top tourist destinations.

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