The transformation of girls’ education

Source: The post The transformation of girls’ education has been created, based on the article “The transformation of girls’ education” published in “The Hindu” on 1 October 2025. The transformation of girls’ education.

UPSC Syllabus: GS-2– Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context: Girls’ education is one of the strongest drivers of social change. As the saying goes, an educated girl becomes an educated mother, and that transforms society. In a country once marked by the bias of ‘What will a girl do with education?’, the last two decades have seen major progress.

Gujarat Model – The Beginning

1. The Kanya Kelavani campaign was launched in 2003 to address female illiteracy and foeticide.
2. The campaign combined awareness drives, separate toilets for girls, incentives, and public mobilisation.
3. Impact: The campaign successfully resulted in:
   1. The increase in Female literacy in Gujarat by 70% (against the national average of 64%).
   2. School dropout rates of girls reduced by up to 90% in targeted districts.
4. This model showed that education could be converted from a scheme into a public movement.

Nationwide Expansion – Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (2015)

1. Inspired by Gujarat’s Kanya Kelavani campaign success, the BBBP initiative was launched with twin goals — prevention of female foeticide and promotion of girls’ education.
2. It involved the convergence of three ministries: Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, and Human Resource Development. Initially targeting 100 gender-critical districts, it later expanded nationwide.
3. Impact: The results were as follows:
   1. Sex ratio at birth improved from 919 (2015-16) to 929 (2019-21)
   2. 20 of 30 States/UTs now perform above the national average.
   3. India’s Total Fertility Rate dropped to 2.0, below replacement level, closely linked to rising female education.
   4. Infant Mortality Rate for girls fell from 49 (2014) to 33 (2020).
   5. Surveys in Madhya Pradesh show 89.5% awareness of BBBP, with 63.2% families encouraged to educate daughters.
   6. Rising female presence in health, education, STEM, entrepreneurship, and even defence services.

Challenges

1. Low Labour Force Participation: Female labour force participation remains low despite significant improvements in female literacy levels.
2. Regional Disparities: There are wide regional disparities in literacy rates and dropout levels among girls across different States and Union Territories.
3. Uneven Quality of Education: The quality of education in many schools is uneven, leading to poor learning outcomes even where enrolment is high.
4. Persistent Social Norms: Deep-rooted practices such as early marriage and a continuing preference for sons still hinder girls’ access to sustained education.

Way Forward

1. Infrastructure Expansion: School infrastructure must be strengthened by expanding safe school buildings, girls’ hostels, and reliable transport facilities to reduce dropouts.
2. Skill & Digital Push: A strong emphasis should be placed on vocational training, digital literacy, and STEM education so that girls are equipped with future-ready skills.
3. Financial Incentives: Financial support in the form of targeted scholarships, incentives for higher education, skill training, and entrepreneurship opportunities must be expanded.
4. Community Participation: Community-based campaigns should be intensified to discourage early marriage, break stereotypes, and create a positive environment for girls’ education.
5. Employment Linkage: Girls’ education needs to be closely aligned with employability by connecting it with industry demands and job opportunities to increase female workforce participation.

Conclusion: From Kanya Kelavani to BBBP, India has shifted from asking “Why educate girls?” to affirming “Educate a girl, save a society.” Leadership, policy convergence, and community mobilisation have driven this change. Sustaining momentum and addressing remaining gaps will ensure that today’s educated daughters become tomorrow’s empowered leaders and change-makers.

Question: Girls’ education is widely recognised as a catalyst for social and economic transformation. Examine the key challenges that continue to hinder progress, and suggest measures to ensure education translates into empowerment and workforce participation.