Girls in India who have dropped out of school have the opportunity for secondary education through a new outreach programme which is being launched in rural areas.
The aim is for 10 million girls to be provided with 10th grade qualifications over a period of 10 years through the digitally-led Project Pragati. The project was developed by the non-profit, Educate Girls who focus on facilitating girls’ education in India’s rural communities. They operate in over 20,000 villages in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, in partnership with the government.
“Learning camps” will be set up in the villages where the girls who have been identified by local volunteers are then enrolled into the secondary schools and will receive support for exams.
In India, about 40% of adolescent girls have no access to education. The lack of adequate infrastructure, facilities and resources has made secondary schooling difficult. Many girls face the problem of travelling long distances to reach a school because they are so far away, which can also be dangerous.
Another issue the system faces is the lack of qualified female teachers. Often men teach the girls and there is a lack of understanding when it comes to unique female needs. An estimated 23% of girls drop out of school when they start menstruating because period stigma becomes an obstacle.
The Educate Girls programme is hoping to support young women to achieve further education, attain entry-level jobs and ultimately help them become financially independent.
Bild (c) Educate Girls
