Girl children planting tree saplings as part of a BBBP programme in Nagaland. (Photo Courtesy: SRCW Nagaland)
Dimapur, January 23 (MExN): The need to accept the pivotal role of the girl child in the society was underscored by the State Resource Centre for Women (SRCW) Nagaland, the nodal agency overseeing the implementation of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme in Nagaland.
While BBBP implementing agencies in Nagaland have worked extensively in ensuring that the welfare of the girl child is not compromised in the face of the societal gender roles and norms, “there is still so much to be done and the responsibility lies in each and everyone one of us,” it said in a press release on Saturday.
In this regard, the SRCW cited the 2011 census and pointed out that there is a disparity in literacy rate for males and females in Nagaland. While the literacy rate for Nagaland is 79.55%, according to the 2011 census the literacy rate for females is at 76.11% as compared to 82.75% for males, it said.
The release stated that one of the primary factors attributing to higher literacy among males is that, “because, females are regarded as temporary members of the family, hence, investment in girls is seen as unnecessary.”
On account of this, particularly in the rural areas, parents prefer to send their male children to private schools which are deemed to provide quality education while the female children are sent to government schools which provide free schooling but are often limited by infrastructure and resources, it stated.
“Being denied quality education, most girls often drop out of school at a young age, further leading to the subordination of their role in the family and in the society,” it added.
Stating that the very core of the BBBP scheme aims at providing better quality of life for the girl child through education or vocational training, it said that focus is given on skill development that would enable economic participation and empowerment for these girls.
It said that various studies have shown that such interventions help in the overall development of the society at large as it not only helps the girls in procuring employment and financial independence but also leads to participation in the public sphere which in turn will raise their status in the family and in the society as well.
Status on women employment
The SRCW also presented statistics on the employment of Naga women in the public and private sectors. The data, taken from the ‘Annual Employment Review: 2019- 2020’ compiled by the Directorate of Employment, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Nagaland, indicated that a total of 24,053 women were employed in different branches of public sector and private sector establishments as on March 31, 2020.
It showed a 3.48 per cent increase from 23, 243 in March 31, 2019.
Out of the total, 20,708 women were employed in the public sector with majority in the State Government service while 3,345 were employed in the private sector establishments. (See Table)
