KGBVs functioning in J&K to reduce dropout rate of female students: MoE

Srinagar, Dec 3: The Union Ministry for Education (MoE) Government of India (GoI) has stated that the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has introduced Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) residential schools to reduce the dropout rate of girl students at all levels in schools across Jammu and Kashmir.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Education Jayant Choudhary in reply to a query raised by the Member Parliament, Akhilesh Prasad Singh. Singh raised a query whether the dropout rates of girl students in secondary and elementary education levels in J&K has increased to 16.6 percent and 3.7 percent in 2019-20, from 1.6 percent and 2.5 percent respectively in 2017-19.

The MoS in his reply to the query said that as per the UDISE+, dropout rates of girl students in elementary and secondary education levels in J&K was recorded as 6.9 percent in 2018-19 which reduced to 5.8 percent in 2019-20 and 4.2 percent in 2020-21 at elementary level. He said the dropout rate of girl students at elementary level was recorded 3.8 percent in 2021-22.

The minister further said that the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), MoE has developed the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) system to record data on indicators of school education provided by all the States and Union Territories.

Referring to the UDISE+ data, the Minister said that the dropout rate of girl students was recorded as 17.7 in 2018-19 which has however increased to 18.6 percent in 2019-2020. The figures further reveal that the drop out rate of girl students decreased again to 4.6 percent in 2020-21 and later again increased to 6.3 percent in 2021-22.

“To reduce the dropout of girl students at all levels of school education, under Samagra Shiksha, there is a provision of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) in the educationally backward blocks where rural female literacy rate is below the national average,” the Minister said.

He said the KGBVs function as residential schools from class 6th to 12th for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL).

“DSEL is implementing the Samagra Shiksha scheme for universalisation of quality education throughout the country in coordination with the States and UTs including Jammu & Kashmir,” the Minister said.

He said that bridging gender and social gaps at all levels of school education was one of the major objectives of the Samagra Shiksha.

“Under Samagra Shiksha, various facilities are being provided for promoting girls education like opening of schools in the neighbourhood as defined by the State, free uniform and text-books to girls up to Class 8th,” the minister in his reply said.

He said that there was a provision of gender segregated toilets in all schools besides self-defence training being provided to girls from classes 6th to 12th and stipend is given to CWSN girls from class 1st to Class 12th.

“Special State specific projects for equity such as life skills, awareness programmes, incinerators, sanitary pad vending machines and vocationalisation of secondary education are other measures taken to reduce the drop-out rate of girl students,” the Minister in his reply said.