Education of Girls

Across India, educating a girl is often perceived as an unnecessary luxury or even a potential liability. While boys are educated in order to provide for their families, girls are often kept out of school from a very young age to help with household chores, take care of younger siblings or to earn a subsistence wage for their families. Many families do not want to educate their daughters because of both the immediate cost of their schooling as well as the subsequent increase in dowry payments due to their increased level of education. Since girls are considered to be members of their future husband’s family, many refuse to “waste” money educating a daughter who will not use her education to benefit her natal family.

The situation worsens in remote areas of Rajasthan where girls are required to travel significant distances to attend the closest secondary school or college, which, for many girls, is not feasible. All of these factors combine to make obtaining the education, that they need, a very difficult task for a girl in Rajasthan – a situation which Vikalp is working to change.