Pulwama: The much hyped centrally sponsored scheme of Beti Bachao Beti Padao, which completed four years in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district in March this year, has made no significant impact on girl education despite spending around rupees 10 million.
Data released by programme officer integrated child development (ICDS) scheme, which runs BBBP scheme in Pulwama revealed that admissions of girl students at primary level has shown a decreasing trend for last two years.
The data was released in a function to celebrate four years of the programme, in Circuit house Pulwama, titled ‘Munni Mahan’.
The ICDS data states that around 18428 girls were admitted at primary level in different schools in Pulwama for year 2016 while as only 18244 girls took admission at primary level in 2017.
The data reveals that girl admissions in 2017 were less by 181 as compared to such admissions in last year registering decrease of 1 percent.
The drop out rate from primary to middle level has also increased in 2017. The ICDS data revels that in 2017 the drop rate from primary to middle level increased from 38 to 58.
For two consecutive years starting from 2016, separate toilet facilities for girls showed no change in middle and secondary schools while as for this period only two new toilets were constructed exclusively for girls at primary level.
The BBBP scheme has a major thrust on education of girl child and envisages celebrations of new girl admissions in schools, felicitation of meritorious girl students and construction of separate toilets for girls among other activities.
Many residents blamed ICDS for running defocused activities instead of spending upon above mentioned parameters.
“They run awareness campaign in and around Pulwama town and don’t bother to go to villages,” said Aijaz Ahmad, a resident of Pulwama, adding that due to defocused activities goals remained unachieved. He also said that lack of separate toilets is also a cause for drop -outs and decrease in admissions.
