(a) whether enrolment of girl students in the primary, upper primary and secondary schools, particularly in the rural areas is declining;
(b) if so, the reason therefor;
(c) whether the Government conducts any study to evaluate and assess attendance levels of children in the elementary schools and if so, the details therof, State-wise; and
(d) the steps taken to check decline in enrolment of girls in schools and improve their literacy?
MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)
(a) & (b): As per the Unified District information systsem for Education (U-DISE), the enrolment of girls (in rural areas) at primary level was 50,498,842 in 2012-13 and 49,140,202 in 2013-14 and at upper primary level 23,400,849 in 2012-13 and 23,859,826 in 2013-14. At the secondary level the girls enrolment (rural) was 11,349,193 in 2012-13 and 12,129,353 in 2013-14. While overall enrolments are stabilising at primary level across the country, they are increasing at upper primary & secondary levels, in the case of girls also.
(c) : The Government of India had commissioned two independent research studies on Student Attendance at Primary and Upper Primary levels in 2006 and 2013, which revealed that average attendance increased from 68.5% in 2006-07 to 76.1% in 2012-13 at primary level and from 75.7% in 2006-07 to 77.9% in 2012-13 at upper primary level. State wise average attendance (%) of students at Primary and Upper Primary level during 2006-07 & 2012-13 are at Annexure.
(d) :Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has targeted interventions for education of girls which include 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’ sensitisation programmes to promote girls participation, gender-sensitive teaching-learning materials including textbooks and in educationally backward blocks with female literacy below the national average, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) or residential schools for girls at upper primary level have been established.