Attendance rate of Gujarat Hindus in schools one of the lowest in India

By Rajiv Shah
The latest National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) report, “Employment and Unemployment Situation among Major Religious Groups in India”, of June 2013, should prove to be a huge shocker to those who consider Gujarat as the most successful developmental model of Hindutva experiment. Even as looking into issues like labour force work participation rate across India, the report has sought to analyze inter-religious differentials among states to find out how labour force of each religious group is shaping up. And for this, it has offered religion-wise current attendance rates in educational institutions, i.e. the number of persons attending any educational institution per 1000 persons, alongside literacy levels. This has been done in order to provide an “idea of the quality of human capital for the future workforce”, to quote from the report.
The results of the study are astonishing. In the age-group 5-14, the attendance rate of Gujarat’s Hindus in educational institutions per 1,000 persons was found to be one of the lowest in India. At 814 per 1,000 population, or 81.4 per cent, for this age group of Gujarat Hindus, only two major states are found to have worst rate on this score – Bihar (76.6 per cent) and Jharkhand (75.7 per cent). Kerala (considered a nearly successful developmental model by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen) stands at the very top, with 96.9 per cent Hindu children attending an educational institution in this age group, followed closely by Himachal Pradesh (96.5 per cent), Maharashtra (95.0 per cent), and Andhra Pradesh (94.2 per cent). The all-India average is 87.7 per cent.

Hindu children attending educational institutions (out of 1000)

For the Hindus in the age-group 15-19, Gujarat’s performance was found to be even worse. In fact, the number of Hindus attending an educational institution in this age group plummets to 42.0 per cent, and the only state that shows a lower rate than Gujarat is Odisha (41.6 per cent, dropped from 91.6 per cent in the age-group 5-14). The top performer for this age group is, again, Kerala with 80.9 per cent of Hindus in the age-group 15-19 attending an educational institution, followed by Himachal Pradesh (74.3 per cent), Chhattisgarh (73.7 per cent) and Maharashtra (68.7 per cent). Even Bihar with 56.9 per cent and Jharkhand with 58.2 per cent are better performers than Gujarat. The all-India average for this category of children has been found to be 59.2 per cent.

Poor attendance in educational institutions is not just a worrying factor for Hindus but also for Muslims of Gujarat. The NSSO study finds that 76.7 per cent of Gujarat’s Muslim children in the age-group 5-14 attend any educational institution. Here, Bihar (74.6 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (76.3 per cent) are found to have performed worst than Gujarat. The all-India average for this age-group of Muslims is 82.3 per cent. In the higher age-group, 15-19, the percentage of Gujarat’s Muslims attending any educational institution suddenly drops to 32.5 per cent, which is the worst in India. The all-India average for this age group has been found to be 45.3 per cent. The results also show that, compared to Hindus, lesser numbers of Muslim children attend any educational institution in Gujarat.

Muslim children attending educational institutions (out of 1000)

No doubt, literacy figures do suggest that Gujarat is a better performer than the all-India average, whether they are Hindus or Muslims. But, clearly, this cannot hide the fact that a higher number of the state’s children remain outside the formal educational framework. Gujarat’s 27.4 per cent of Hindus and 26.8 per cent Muslims come in the NSSO’s “not literate” category. This is against the all-India average of 31.7 per cent and 36.3 per cent for Hindus and Muslims, respectively, suggesting Gujarat is “above average”. Yet, the fact is, several states are better performers than Gujarat. For Hindus, these include Assam (14.2 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (20.6 per cent), Kerala (6.5 per cent), Maharashtra (21.0 per cent), Punjab (22.9 per cent), Tamil Nadu (23.7 per cent) and West Bengal (23.8 per cent). For Muslims, the states who are better performers than Gujarat are Chhattisgarh (21.9 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (10.8 per cent), Kerala (7.8 per cent), Maharashtra (18.1 per cent), and Tamil Nadu (15.4 per cent).

Overall, the NSSO report comments, “The current attendance rates in educational institutions in the age-group 0-29 years were the highest among Christian rural males, rural females, urban males and urban females alike.” Further, “The current attendance rates in educational institutions among rural males, rural females, urban males and urban females of age 0-29 years among Christians were 58 per cent, 52 per cent, 63 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively. The corresponding rates for Muslims were 46 per cent, 38 per cent, 48 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively. The over-all current attendance rates in educational institutions for rural males, rural females, urban males and urban females of age 0-29 years were 50 per cent, 42 per cent, 53 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively.”

Comments

Towards 2024: Time for ‘We the People of India’ to wake up before it is too late

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* It is Constitution Day once again! We, the people of India, gratefully remember 26 November 1949 when the Constitution of India was passed and adopted by the Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly comprised women and men of distinction, who were able to represent the heart and soul of the people of India without fear or favour. They gave of their best, so that we may a visionary Constitution, which would be the mainstay for and of democracy in India!

Regretful: Kapil Dev retired not leaving Indian cricket with integrity he upheld

By Harsh Thakor Kapil Dev scaled heights as an entertainer and a player upholding the spirit of the game almost unparalleled in his era. In his time he was cricket’s ultimate mascot of sportsmanship On his day Kapil could dazzle in all departments to turn the tempo of game in the manner of a Tsunami breaking in. He radiated r energy, at a level rarely scaled in his era on a cricket field. Few ever blended aggression with artistry so comprehenisively. Although fast medium, he could be as daunting with the ball as the very best, with his crafty outswinger, offcutter, slower ball and ball that kicked from a good length. Inspite of bowling on docile tracks on the subcontinent, Kapil had 434 scalps, with virtually no assistance. I can never forget how he obtained pace and movement on flat pancakes, trapping the great Vivian Richards in Front or getting Geoff Boycott or Zaheer Abbas caught behind. No paceman carried the workload of his team’s bowling attack on his shoulders in his eras muc

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das* India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on.

Critical factors that determine, contribute to the success and effectiveness of NGOs

By Rohit Rakshit Over the last few years, I have been fortunate to work with numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across various states in the country. This experience has allowed me to gain insights into their diverse areas of work while also enabling me to analyze the key attributes that contribute to the success of a good NGO. According to my observations, the following are the critical factors that determine the effectiveness of an NGO.

Polytechnic Uprising 50 years ago even today inspires radical Greek youth movement

By Harsh Thakor* On November 17, progressive sections in Greece marked the 50th anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic Uprising of 1973. A massive rally from the Athens Polytechnic passed through various parts of the city, including the US Embassy. Thousands of activists from the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Communist Youth of Greece (KNE), Students Struggle Front (MAS), Federation of Greek Women (OGE), Hellenic Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE), and All Workers Militant Front (PAME), among other groups, participated in the march denouncing imperialism, fascism and military dictatorship.

Delhi labour chowk workers get work for 15 days a month, 10% get grain on ration cards

By Bharat Dogra* It is around 10 in the morning and the number of workers at the Sigalpur labor chowk in Shalimar Bagh area of Delhi is increasing. As a worker Munna says: “The hope of getting any work is much lesser now due to pollution related ban on construction but still workers assemble here in the hope of getting at least some minor repair or other work.”

How adamant Bellsonika management is continuously robbing workers' livelihood

By Harsh Thakor* On September 27th, earlier this year, the Bellsonika Workers’ Union was stripped of legal status or registration. The Haryana government's labour department cancelled the registration of the Bellsonica workers' union over granting the membership to one of the 'contractual workers'. It was major breach on Constitutional Rights of workers, to enable the contract labour system to flourish, and tighten the noose on any form of workers resistance.

Day to remember hardship, sincere efforts of Dr Ambedkar for framing Constitution

By Dr Kapilendra Das The 26th of November, the day of an important landmark in India's journey as an Independent, Sovereign, socialist, secular, and Democratic, Republic is celebrated as National Constitution Day in India, also known as Samvidhan Divas. On this day the constituent Assembly adopted the constitution of India in 1949 to secure the Indian Citizen's justice, liberty, equality, and union which came into effect two months later, on January 26, 1950, and India became a Republic.

TERI researchers outline ways for robust, equitable and flexible outcome at COP28

By Sanya Hans Researchers at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) launched two crucial policy briefs ahead of the much anticipated 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) scheduled from November 30 to December 12, 2023 at Dubai, UAE. Former climate negotiator, Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri, a Distinguished Fellow at TERI emphasized, “Adaptation is an imperative and absolute must in present times for the Global South. COP28 needs to make the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) integral to climate commitments and action”. “Climate change demands that energy use must be sustainable; the development imperative of the Global South demands it to be inclusive, just and fair," Mr Puri added. Outcome on GGA will be a key determinant for the success of COP28 The policy brief titled ‘Road to Dubai and The Global Goal on Adaption’ reviewed the discussions around the GGA framework to provide perspectives on what could be a robust, equitable, and flexible outcome of the GGA process at CO

Raising temperature of frozen foods by 3 degrees from -18°C to -15°C can slash carbon emissions: Study

By Payel Sannigrahi Frozen food temperatures could be changed by just three degrees to save the carbon dioxide emissions of 3.8 million cars per year, research suggests.

Search This Blog