Women attendance in schools, colleges witnesses growth

Active attendance levels among females in the 15-19 age group have risen 28% in Bihar and 27% in Jharkhand in the decade to 2011

States conventionally considered backward had registered a much higher rise in female educational attendance levels, trumping more developed counterparts, shows recently issued census data. Active attendance levels among females in the 15-19 age group have risen 28 per cent in Bihar and 27 per cent in Jharkhand in the decade to 2011. In 2001, Bihar had the lowest female attendance level.

The age group, which spans higher secondary and graduate education, has proved most susceptible to people dropping out from the educational process. More developed states such as Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat have shown a slower rise in females attending all educational institutions, including literacy centres and vocational training institutes. Punjab's rise was 13 per cent; it was 15 per cent for Maharashtra. Gujarat had a 11 per cent rise and also the second lowest figure nationwide for current attendance among women, at only 44 per cent.

Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh showed a rise of 22 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively. Southern states maintained high growth over the decade, except for Karnataka which had only six per cent more of the female population attending educational institutions.

Experts feel a policy push towards women's education in the past two decades is finally getting results. Amitabh Kundu of the Institute of Human Development said, "A significant rise in current educational levels in the age group reflects a growing awareness for being educated." Other reasons cited are growing enrolment in adult education and literacy programmes.

States vary significantly regarding attendance levels among females in the 15 -19 years group. Kerala had 82 per cent of women regularly attending educational institutions. Odisha, with the lowest figure among all states, had 40 per cent.

Around 58 per cent of females in the category were regularly attending educational institutions in Andhra Pradesh; it was 55 per cent for Karnataka.

States traditionally considered weaker in delivering educational services seem to have caught on. West Bengal and Bihar had around 52 per cent attendance. For Jharkhand, the figure was 56 per cent.

Nationally, 56 per cent of all women in the age group were attending educational institutions.

If the entire female population of a state is taken into consideration, Odisha had the lowest figure of active attendance at only 22 per cent. Nagaland was the highest at 32 per cent. Nationally, about 24 per cent of women were attending