The Indian Government recently initiated a comprehensive nationwide campaign titled “Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav”. The primary objective of this initiative is to reintegrate approximately four lakh adolescent girls, aged between 11 and 14 years, who are out of the education system, back into school. The campaign was launched on the eve of International Women’s Day, observed annually on 8th March.
Key Features of the Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav
The Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav campaign strives to establish an efficient system for the benefit of girls who are currently not attending school. To achieve this, it will leverage existing schemes and programs such as Schemes for Adolescent Girls (SAG), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), and the National Education Policy (NEP).
Implementing Agencies
The campaign is led by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education. This joint leadership underscores the government’s commitment to prioritizing girl-child education.
Strategy and Implementation
The emphasis of the campaign is on fostering convergence and coordination between various ministries, departments, and states. As part of the BBBP project, the primary beneficiaries of this campaign will be over four lakh out-of-school adolescent girls. Funding will be provided to over 400 districts across all states under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme. This will enhance grassroots level outreach and drive awareness generation efforts to encourage communities and families to enrol out-of-school adolescent girls back into the education system.
Additionally, funds from the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan will be utilized for the campaign, and Anganwadi workers will receive additional incentives for counselling and referring out-of-school adolescent girls.
Data Collection and Analysis
A significant aspect of the campaign involves collecting data on girls who are currently out of school. This will be done based on their visits to Anganwadi centres for nutrition, nutrition education, and skilling purposes. The data collected will aid in understanding the scope of the problem and in formulating effective strategies for reintegration.
Significance of the Campaign
Ever since the Right to Education Act was enacted in 2009, reintegrating girls who are out of school back into the education system has been a persistent target. However, the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG), which was initially responsible for addressing this issue, had not gained the expected momentum, leading to the necessity of this new, dedicated campaign.
In summary, the Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav is a commendable initiative by the Indian government aiming to address various barriers hindering adolescent girls from gaining education and to nurture their overall development.
