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Incorporating Gender Concerns in Public Policy Gender and Education

Incorporating Gender Concerns in Public Policy Gender and Education Presentation made by Ratna M. Sudarshan, ISST At IIPA, September 12 2007. 1951: literacy levels 25% for men and 9% for women. Constitution envisaged that within ten years universal literacy would have been achieved.

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Incorporating Gender Concerns in Public Policy Gender and Education

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  1. Incorporating Gender Concerns in Public Policy Gender and Education Presentation made by Ratna M. Sudarshan, ISST At IIPA, September 12 2007

  2. 1951: literacy levels 25% for men and 9% for women Constitution envisaged that within ten years universal literacy would have been achieved. Constitution gave primary responsibility for elementary education to the State Governments, while technical and higher education was the responsibility of the Central Government. This situation changed in 1976 after the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution was passed, making all education a joint responsibility of Central and State Governments. Central government financing of education has been described as `small but strategic’ and state government financing as `large but tightly constrained’ (World Bank 1997). It is therefore possible to distinguish phases of educational development based on changes in Central Government policy towards education. These are, from 1951 to the mid-sixties; mid-sixties to 1986; 1986 to 1991; and from 1991 onwards

  3. Education Policy in India

  4. Objective of incorporating a gender perspective in education policy is to go beyond parity to equality ‘in, within and through’ education. Equality and Parity Gender parity measures the equality of outcome in enrolment between women and men, with parity being calculated in terms of the measure 1 (the male standard). Gender equality measures have tended to be defined in terms of the measurement of outcomes in subsequent educational progress of attendance, repetition and completion. Academic achievements are another measure of equality beyond parity. From Ramya Subrahmanian (2006)

  5. BY 'BETTER GIRLS' EDUCATION' WE MEAN … a. Gender-sensitive targeting b. Deepening understandings of gender equality c. Reconceptualizing learning d. Making schools more responsive to local needs e. Child-centredness and the empowerment of girls f. Involving parents, especially mothers, in decision-making g. Intervening in social spaces to influence change h. Empowering and resourcing teachers, especially women teachers i. Building traditions that celebrate learning j. Using research to identify problems and hear voices of stakeholders k. Ongoing monitoring l. Legalizing rights. From Ramya Subrahmanian (2006)

  6. Adult Literacy Programmes The main strategy that has been followed since 1988 to spread adult literacy has been the Total Literacy Campaign of the National Literacy Mission, using volunteers in time bound decentralized programmes. The NLM was revamped in 1999. Goal: 75% literacy by 2007 by imparting functional literacy to non-literates in the 15-35 age group.

  7. The Mahila Samakhya Programme (Education for Women’s Empowerment) started in 1989 focuses especially on socially and economically disadvantaged and marginalised groups of women. Emphasises the process of learning, and seeks to bring about a change in women's perceptions about themselves and the perception of society in regard to women's roles. ‘Education’ is understood as the process of learning to question, critically analyse issues and problems and seek solutions. Operational in 9 states.

  8. Schooling for all The 93rd Constitutional Amendment makes free and compulsory education a fundamental right for all children in the 6-14 age group. GOI committed to realizing the goal of elementary education for all by 2010. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), launched in 2000, is the national umbrella programme that is spearheading the universalisation of elementary education for the children who are difficult to bring to school. The Gross Enrollment Ratio for girls in primary education has increased from 64.1% in 1980-81 to 85.2% in 1999-2000. It is still less than that for boys. Enrolment for boys was 104.1% in 1999-2000.

  9. Dropout rates among SC and ST boys and girls AP Karnataka Maharashtra Orissa Rajasthan Dropout SC boys I-V 44.09 6.12 17.02 44.99 53.07 Dropout SC girls I-V 46.12 14.03 18.21 42.36 36.29 Dropout SC boys VI-VIII 63.41 27.19 30.03 63.73 69.65 Dropout SC girls VI-VIII 68.87 51.61 38.22 67.17 80.07 Dropout ST boys I-V 63.29 4.88 34.42 59.58 52.19 Dropout ST girls I-V 68.47 4.96 42.82 63.19 38.31 Dropout ST boys VI-VIII 76.80 53.81 59.12 76.49 70.42 Dropout ST girls VI-VIII 82.49 56.80 65.14 76.56 79.63 Source: Select Education Statistics. (2006) Government of India, New Delhi.; Vimala Ramachandran Incentives Study

  10. The National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL), a component of SSA, provides region specific strategies to enable girls to come to school, provide remedial teaching through bridge courses and residential camps. It targets the most educationally backward blocks in the country where the female literacy rate is below the national average and the gender gap is above the national average. Social learning curriculum (SLC) started as part of a small educational project for girls and later adapted for about 150 government schools in Uttar Pradesh, has been an attempt to include overt teaching lessons with broad objectives of developing appreciation for equity, respect for diversity and democracy, capability to question, argue and negotiate in the context of real life experiences and social situations. Initially aimed at girls and later all the children in the 9+ age group, the SLC is based on the belief that schooling is an influential form of socialization where children from an early age are capable of learning complex values, processes, relations and positions, if taught and transacted through appropriate methods and tools. Two initiatives Udaan and Janshala need a special mention. The Udaan experience reflects upon the content and the process of developing the SLC, training the teachers, the challenges faced and the impact on girls. Janshala is a school improvement programme operational in all formal primary schools of 138 blocks in India.

  11. There are several programmes of Early Childhood Care and Education which include the ICDS, Crèches, Balwadis, ECE centres, Pre-Primary schools run by the state and the private sector and many experimental and innovative projects like Mobile Crèches… Making education a Fundamental Right for the 6-14 age group has however had the result of inadequate attention being given to the age group 0-6 years, as well as the 14-18 age group, in educational programmes. Schooling has been made completely free for girls in most states upto the higher secondary stage. The participation of girls in Secondary Education has been increasing steadily from 13.3% in 1950-51 to 39.9% in 2001-02. Various Centrally Sponsored Schemes have been formulated to strengthen school education and a large number of girls have benefited from these schemes. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) have been setup in rural areas as pace setting school for talented rural children and also to ensure greater participation of girls from SC/ST communities and from households below the poverty line. One third of seats in JNVs is reserved for girls.

  12. In the higher education sector, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has been implementing various schemes for promoting women’s education in Universities and Colleges like schemes of grants to women’s universities for technical courses, scheme for construction of women’s hostels, setting up of Women’s Study Centres in 34 universities etc. Participation of women students in polytechnics was one of the thrust areas under World Bank assisted Technical Education Project. The scheme of community polytechnic aims at bringing in communities and encouraging rural development through Science and Technology apprenticeship and through skill oriented non-formal training focused on women, minorities, SCs/STs/OBCs and other disadvantaged sections of the society. Currently, 43% of the total beneficiaries are women.

  13. Life Skills The NCW initiated a countrywide Legal Awareness Programme for women in 1996. The camps are participative rather than academic. Vocational education Vocational training: a link between education and employment. Only 5 % of the Indian labour force in the age group of 20-24 years has obtained vocational training. The corresponding figure in industrialized countries is much higher (between 60% and 80%) and even when set against developing countries this is very low (Mexico has 28%, Peru 17%). (vol 1.part 2.1083). An innovative pilot project linking the existing training institutions with the needs of illiterate women in informal employment, and encouraging women to acquire non-traditional skills, has been started in two cities with support from the ILO.

  14. Special Measures The scheme of ‘Special Educational Development Programmes for SC girls belonging to Low Literacy Districts’ introduced in 1996-7 seeks to establish residential schools for girls from SC communities, to encourage first generation learners from low literacy pockets.

  15. A primary school can be opened within 1 km of an SC/ST habitation of 200 population, while the norm for general population is 300 population. Students from these communities are entitled to free textbooks, uniforms, stationery, school bags etc. Other incentives include reservation of seats in institutions of higher education, remedial and special coaching, and scholarships.

  16. Resources Resources allocated to education were 3.49% of the GDP in 1997-98 and 4.02% in 2001-2, although the commitment to increase resources to 6% of GDP was accepted in 1995.

  17. Questions: In light of gender concerns and objectives: what should be our attitude in light of persisting problems in implementation of programmes? All programmes are based on ‘best practices’ so there will always be some successes – does that mean we continue to upscale despite uneven performance? People are opting increasingly in favour of private schools – but girls often remain in government schools - how should we interpret and respond to this? Should programmes like ‘mid day meals’ be seen as ‘educational’ programmes?

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