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Prioritising Quantity over Quality: Lopsided Approach to Girl Child Education in the Bihar Government’s Schemes

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  • Nishant Kumar

Abstract

Based on a field survey conducted in five districts of Bihar and involving 1,119 respondents, this article examines the role of schemes initiated by the Bihar Government to achieve a dramatic transformation in female literacy. It argues that the schemes, though successful in taking care of economic factors that act as hurdles in the enrolment and retention of girls in schools, suffer limitations in their implementation and also overlook the importance of other factors that impact the girl child’s education, especially at the school level. At the same time, though there is an overemphasis on increasing the number of learners, the issue of quality in education has been grossly neglected. The article concludes that, in the long run, neglecting school-related factors and the quality of education defeats the real purpose of the schemes. Based on the study, some recommendations are also offered to manage the quantity–quality equilibrium in relation to girl child education.

Suggested Citation

  • Nishant Kumar, 2021. "Prioritising Quantity over Quality: Lopsided Approach to Girl Child Education in the Bihar Government’s Schemes," Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Centre for Women's Development Studies, vol. 28(3), pages 346-368, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:indgen:v:28:y:2021:i:3:p:346-368
    DOI: 10.1177/09715215211030404
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Karthik Muralidharan & Nishith Prakash, 2017. "Cycling to School: Increasing Secondary School Enrollment for Girls in India," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(3), pages 321-350, July.
    2. Nazmul Chaudhury & Jeffrey Hammer & Michael Kremer & Karthik Muralidharan & F. Halsey Rogers, 2006. "Missing in Action: Teacher and Health Worker Absence in Developing Countries," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 20(1), pages 91-116, Winter.
    3. Vimala Ramachandran, 2008. "Backward and Forward Linkages that Strengthen Primary Education," Working Papers id:1640, eSocialSciences.
    4. Kingdon, Geeta Gandhi, 2005. "Where Has All the Bias Gone? Detecting Gender Bias in the Intrahousehold Allocation of Educational Expenditure," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 53(2), pages 409-451, January.
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