Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu top in girls’ education

A new data from the Ministry of Human Resource Development and UNICEF, reveals Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are India’s best-ranked States in terms of gender-related education indicators. Using district-level indicators of girls’ education, health and social disadvantages, the government aims to identify the most backward pockets of the country, requiring the most attention.

Vrinda Sarup, secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, said that, earlier, survey used to look at the gender gap in indicators, and this is narrowing. However this, it was felt, was no longer adequate. The new data from the Digital Gender Atlas for Advancing Girls’ Education will help States better channelise their resources to the areas that need it most.

While the atlas uses data earlier collected by other government agencies, it also creates a new composite index using 21 indicators to do with girls’ education, along four axes — access, infrastructure, teachers and outcomes.

Best		Worst
Primary Education	Secondary Education	Primary Education	Secondary Education
Tamil Nadu	Tamil Nadu	Almost remaining all States (North Eastern States not considered for the survey)
Kerala	Kerala
Punjab	Delhi
Delhi

Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Delhi and Punjab are in the top 25% of the index’s range for elementary education, and the two Southern states and Delhi make the top quarter of the index for secondary education as well. Central and northern States, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, are among the worst performers.

Women joining Workforce and marriage at the right age
Best	Worst
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh	Remaining all States

However, the data shows that pockets of backwardness exist in better-off States too. Ramanathapuram, Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts in Tamil Nadu do as badly on the composite girls’ education indicator as Barabanki, Bahraich and Shrawasti in Uttar Pradesh. Bangalore’s urban and rural districts do as well as Mumbai or Pune, but the neighbouring district of Tumkur is among India’s worst off districts.

The atlas also creates a Vulnerability Index of factors which impinge on girls’ education, including the likelihood of joining the workforce early and early marriage.

The two southern States, along with Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, are the best performers here, with Gujarat, Rajasthan and the central and northern States among the worst.