New Delhi (Agency): A recent study reports that a significant 78% of parents in India’s rural areas hope for their daughters to achieve at least a graduate level of education. The “State of Elementary Education in Rural India-2023” report, unveiled by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, gathered data from 6,229 rural families across 20 Indian states.
The survey’s findings were encouraging in terms of gender equity. “Parents of 82 per cent of boys and 78 per cent of girls want to educate their children to graduation and above,” the report shared. This shows that parents in rural areas have high educational aspirations for both their sons and daughters.
However, the survey also shed light on school drop-out rates. For male students, about one in four leave school during primary education. The drop-out rate for female students at this level is notably higher, standing at 35%. When considering those who left after finishing primary education, 75% were boys and 65% were girls. The lack of accessible schools offering higher-level education in or near their villages is believed to be a primary reason for these drop-outs.
This study focused on children aged between six and sixteen living in rural settings. The Development Intelligence Unit (DIU) led the research. The DIU is a part of the Transforming Rural India Foundation (TRIF) and Sambodhi Pvt. Their mission is to provide relevant data, insights, and analysis to help key players in rural development make informed decisions.
Another aspect explored in the survey was parental involvement in children’s studies. Most children (62.5%) mainly rely on their mothers for academic supervision, whereas 49% are overseen by their fathers. The report remarked, “This highlights the important role parents play in guiding and supporting their children’s academic pursuits at home.” Moreover, around 38% of parents engage private tutors to aid their children’s studies.
Interestingly, supervision in rural areas is often undertaken by figures other than the child’s parents. As per the findings, 25.6% of students learn under the guidance of an older sibling, 3.8% receive supervision from anganwadi workers, and 7.6% are taught by community teachers.
Additionally, the survey looked into the time children spend on smartphones. The data revealed that nearly 73% of students use smartphones for less than two hours every day. The use increases with age: “25.4 per cent of children in class 8 and above dedicating two to four hours, in contrast to 16.8 per cent of children in classes 1 to 3,” the report stated. This survey is crucial as it provides insights into the evolving educational aspirations and challenges in India’s rural landscape.