What is the issue?
Several girls were recently brutally thrashed in their school compound, in Supaul, Bihar, by local boys for opposing their sexual advances.
What happened?
- The boys are from the same village where the KGBV (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya) is located.
- Reportedly, the girls were attacked because they resisted vulgar messages conveyed on their hostel walls by the boys.
- They threatened to harm the girls and finally did it, and the girls got badly injured.
- The girls had earlier complained to the school authorities regarding this but nothing came of it.
What is the KGBV scheme?
- The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) scheme forms a successful chapter of SSA.
- Residential schools like the KGBV were set up all over India under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
- KGBV schools aim at giving rural girls who had dropped out of school, before ending the primary stage, a second chance.
- Instead going through the primary stage again, Kasturba schools offer a full-time residential opportunity to start at grade 6 level and finish grade 8 when everyone else does.
- Kasturba schools have made notable success and progress in achieving this goal, despite extremely modest financial support.
- KGBVs specifically retained the girls they admit from marginalised sections.
- These include the Schedule Castes, Scheduled Tribes, the minorities and upper castes below the poverty line.
- Moreover, a common element among the girls in the recent incident is poverty.
- Their parents prefer to let them stay at a poorly funded hostel because conditions at home are more worse.
- Their parents value the opportunity in these rural residential schools which they cannot otherwise afford.
What are the policy shortfalls?
- The official website of the Supaul district presents an impressive list of measures taken by the police to ensure security and peace.
- But these measures did not suffice to help those 10 to 14 year-old girls.
- This is not the first time that a KGBV has faced a security breach.
- As it happens in all schemes meant for the poorest sections, the infrastructure and services are minimal and KGBVs are largely insecure.
- Until a few years ago, the state government ran some of the KGBVs with help from the Mahila Samakhya.
- It is a reputed women’s empowerment programme, which imparted efficiency and institutional capacity to the KGBVs under its care.
- But sadly, KGBVs have lost their special status now and, the larger umbrella of SSA has been shrinking, both financially and spirit-wise.
- Compromised provision for basic needs like food, healthcare and security has restrained many KGBVs' progress, especially in northern India.
- Poorly trained staff and vulnerability of employment have also weakened the scheme.
- There is lack of motivation and inadequate funds to keep up with inflation.
What lies ahead?
- KGBVs certainly serve the poor, and play a role in improving gender parity.
- They will remain in demand and will need a longer-term plan and infrastructure.
- Temporary arrangements like supply of smart boards and digital devices may not do.
- Financial and pedagogic inputs will have to be radically enhanced for schooling to have effects on poverty.
Source: Indian Express
