1,060 girls of 11-14 years out of school in Odisha: Education Minister

Around 1,060 adolescent girls in the age group of 11-14 years were out of school in Odisha, according to state School and Mass Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra. “The OPEPA (Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority) in 2017 had conducted a survey. It showed that 1,060 adolescent girls in the age group of 11-14 years were out of school in the state,” Patra told reporters here yesterday.

When asked about the Women & Child Welfare and Mission Shakti Department (W&CD-MS) survey which claimed that 55,868 adolescent girls in the same age group were out of school in the state, Patra rejected the survey conducted by thw WCD-MS department. The WCD-MS department had conducted the survey to find the number of adolescent girls out of school for implementing a Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG). The SAG is being implemented across the state since April, 2018.

The secretary of the WCD-MS department, Anu Garg had also written to the principal secretary of S&ME department urging him to take immediate steps to get the girls enrolled in schools, officials said.
News Source (Indian Express)