(This pan-India survey by Development Intelligence Unit (DIU) highlights progress in gender- neutral edu cation among rural communities)
TTT NEWS NETWORK
NEW DELHI, 8 AUGUST 2023:
From rural India, here comes a promising indicator of progress towards an inclusive environment. According to a report conducted by the Development Intelligence Unit (DIU), a collaboration between Transform Rural India and Sambodhi Research and Communications Pvt. Ltd., parents from rural communities firmly believe that a child’s gender, whether a boy or a girl, should not hinder their educational aspirations. In this study, it was revealed that a total of 78 percent of parents of girls and 82 percent of parents of boys wanted to educate their children to graduation and above. The study was focused on 6 to 16-year-old children in rural communities across 20 states in India. The report, titled ‘State of Elementary Education in Rural India– 2023’, was officially unveiled by Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, during TRI’s India Rural Colloquy 2023 (IRC) on August 8 at India Habitat Centre, Delhi.
On launching the report, the honourable minister said, “As a student of public policy and in charge of the education sector of India, I study and learn new subjects every day. The mindset with which I’ve come here is that the report titled ‘State of Elementary Education in Rural India – 2023’ would possibly help me with decision-making in the future. After all, today’s young generation needs proof and data. Our country has a history of interpretation and documentation of knowledge in many formats. And this knowledge will travel through ideas. It has to transform into a language and a form.” He went on to speak about India’s knowledge traditions, age of competency and skill-based learning, the transformation of Indian education steered by #NEP2020, education in local languages, the importance of early childhood care and education, and the need for more women’s involvement in the development sector programs.
“India’s President Draupadi Murmu is an inspiring case study of a woman from rural India who had the courage to educate herself and stand in a leadership position. As a country, we have had a number of women moving forward, and it’s something we need to ensure even more moving forward,” he added.
The report also noted that the finding, which indicates no disparity in parental aspirations concerning the education of their children, calls for continued efforts to promote inclusive education. This will ensure sustainable opportunities for boys and girls alike. “This highly positive sign has the potential to further strengthen educational growth in the rural sector. We hope that our policymakers, educational institutions, and other stakeholders will acknowledge these common aspirations to establish an inclusive environment that ensures growth and development for every child in rural India,” said Javed Siddiqui, Lead, Education at Transform Rural India.
The survey included responses from 6,229 parents, among whom 6,135 had school-going students, 56 had students who dropped out of school, and 38 had children who had never enrolled in school.
This report was launched at the India Rural Colloquy 2023 in Delhi, an event that features well over 100 thought leaders – in development, culture, business, and beyond – in over two dozen conversations in four Indian cities. The aim is to bring people together in hopes of finding actionable solutions to the challenges facing rural India, in an unusual event in that includes on-the-ground voices from those at the sharp end of rural development.
Other Key Findings —
Increased access to smartphones:
- The survey revealed that 49.3 per cent of students in rural India have access to smartphones. However, among the parents whose children have access to gadgets, 76.7 per cent mentioned that their children primarily use mobile phones to play video games. Of these, 56.6 percent are using them for downloading and watching movies, while 47.3 percent are using them to download and listen to songs.
- This shows that among smartphone-accessible students, merely 34 per cent use them for study downloads, while 18 per cent of rural Indian students access online learning via tutorials.
- Based on the age group, students belonging to class Eight and above have a higher percentage of access to smartphones at 58.32 percent, while even those students in classes between One and Three have access to them at 42.1 per cent.
Learning environment at home:
- 40 percent of the parents said that age-appropriate reading materials, other than school books, are available at home.
- Additionally, only 40 per cent of parents have conversations with their children around learning in school every day, while 32 percent have such conversations with their children a few days a week.
Dropped-out or out-of-school children:
- The respondents were the parents of 56 students who had dropped out of school. The survey revealed that 36.8 per cent of the parents of girls stated the reason for their daughters’ school dropouts was the requirement to help out in the family’s earnings.
- Additionally, 31.6 per cent of parents mentioned their child’s lack of interest in studies, while 21.1 per cent believed that their daughters had to take care of household chores and siblings at home. For boys, as per the survey, the key reason for dropping out from school is the child’s lack of interest in studies.
- A total of 71.8 percent cited this, while another 48.7 percent said boys are required to help out in earning for the family.
Encouraging participation of parents:
- Meanwhile, 84 percent of parents stated that they regularly attend parent-teacher meetings.
- A total of 73 Change vectors from Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand were interviewed to understand community aspects. Among them, 93.4 percent reported that parents are regular attendees of parent-teacher meetings in their village.
- The top two reasons for parents not attending meetings are short notice and lack of willingness.
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