Empowering women in India through education

By Rotary International

Women in the second chance literacy program.

Women in the second chance literacy program.

By Manish Shroff, past president of the Rotary Club of Ankleshwar, India

Our Rotary club is surrounded by rural and tribal villages in the Bharuch District of Gujarat State, India. The literacy rate in these villages is low and dropout rates of students in primary schools are high, most particularly among girls. We wanted to do something about that.

We conducted a survey with the help of PRATHAM, an NGO working in the rural literacy field across India, to gauge the condition of education in several of these villages. The study found that many girls leave school after the primary level mainly because of the lack of secondary education nearby. Students have to travel further, and for various socio-economic reasons, this makes it more likely that girls will drop out after the primary level and not go on to grades 7 or 8.

Education is the only way for women to secure a better future for themselves and for their daughters. Although urbanization is increasing education among women in urban areas, rural women still suffer from a lack of mobility and access to education. It is noteworthy that the performance of girls on state exams equals or …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

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