One lakh girls in 11-14 age group return to mainstream education

Approximately one lakh adolescent girls aged between 11 and 14, who had previously dropped out of school, have been successfully reintegrated into the mainstream schooling system.

According to government sources, approximately one lakh girls in the 11-14 age group who had previously dropped out of schools have been successfully reintegrated into mainstream education. Over the years, there has been a remarkable decline in the reported numbers of dropout girls in this age category.

The states and union territories reported a dropout figure of 1.14 crore in 2013-14 for girls aged 11-14. This number significantly decreased to five lakh in 2020-21, then further reduced to 3.8 lakh in 2021-22, and finally reached approximately one lakh in July last year.

This decline reflects the removal of fake beneficiaries and incorrect entries.

SCHEME REVISION AND INTEGRATION

After bringing back these one lakh girls to mainstream education, the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) in the 11-14 age group has been discontinued and incorporated into the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 Mission.

The revised SAG now encompasses girls aged 14-18 in aspirational and northeast region districts, identifying a total of 22.40 lakh adolescent girls.

AADHAAR SEEDING AND TRACKING

Aadhaar seeding has been conducted for 19 lakh out of the identified 22 lakh girls under the revised SAG. Additionally, the Poshan Tracker, which monitors anganwadi center activities in real-time, has 9.38 crore Aadhaar-seeded beneficiaries out of a total of 10.06 crore.

Geo-tagging of 10 lakh anganwadi centers is underway, with plans to complete the process for the remaining centers.

EFFORTS FOR UPGRADATION AND COORDINATION

The government aims to make 2 lakh anganwadi centers 'saksham' by 2025-26, with 41,000 centers already achieving the status in the first year. Upgrading 1.60 lakh mini anganwadis to full-fledged anganwadi centers is also part of the programme.

Furthermore, Aadhaar-seeding of migrant workers is being carried out to ensure their access to anganwadi benefits across the country, benefitting 57,000 workers thus far and enhancing coordination among states.

FOCUS ON MALNUTRITION

Although malnutrition figures remain inconsistent, efforts are being made to address the issue. According to the National Family Health Survey-5, 7.7% of children suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), and 19.3% experience SAM and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) cumulatively.

However, data from the Poshan Tracker indicates that only 2.27% of children suffer from SAM and 7.06% from SAM and MAM, as reported by the Women and Child Development Ministry.

As the government continues its initiatives to bring girls back to mainstream education and tackle malnutrition, the focus remains on creating a brighter future for these young individuals and ensuring their overall well-being.

Source: PTI