78% of parents in rural India aspire to educate their girls to graduation and beyond: Pan-India survey

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

parents of girls and 82% of parents of boys wanted to educate their children to graduation and above, a pan-India survey by Development Intelligence Unit (DIU) highlighting the progress in gender-neutral education among rural communities, has revealed. According to the report by DIU, a collaboration between Transform Rural India and Sambodhi Research and Communications, parents from rural communities firmly believe that a child's gender, whether a boy or a girl, should not hinder their educational aspirations. The study was focused on 6 to 16-year-old children in rural communities across 20 states in India.

The report, titled ‘State of Elementary Education in Rural India– 2023’, was officially unveiled by Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India, during TRI’s India Rural Colloquy 2023 (IRC). The report also noted that the finding calls for continued efforts to promote inclusive education. This will ensure sustainable opportunities for boys and girls alike.

“This highly positive sign has the potential to further strengthen educational growth in the rural sector. We hope that our policymakers, educational institutions, and other stakeholders will acknowledge these common aspirations to establish an inclusive environment that ensures growth and development for every child in rural India," said Javed Siddiqui, Lead, Education at Transform Rural India. The survey included responses from 6,229 parents, among whom 6,135 had school-going students, 56 had students who dropped out of school, and 38 had children who had never enrolled in school.