From rural India, here comes a promising indicator of progress towards an inclusive environment. According to a report conducted by the Development Intelligence Unit (DIU), a collaboration between Transform Rural India and Sambodhi Research and Communications Pvt. Ltd., parents from rural communities firmly believe that a child’s gender, whether a boy or a girl, should not hinder their educational aspirations. In this study, it was revealed that a total of 82 percent of parents of girls and 78 percent of parents of boys wanted to educate their children to graduation and above. The study was focused on 6 to 14-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 on the last day of the India Rural Colloquy – A Rural Renaissance in Delhi on 8th August 2023.
“The report also noted that the finding, which indicates no disparity in parental aspirations concerning the education of their children, 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.
This report was launched at the India Rural Colloquy 2023 in Delhi, an event that features well over 100 thought leaders – in development, culture, business, and beyond – in over two dozen conversations in four Indian cities. The aim is to bring people together in hopes of finding actionable solutions to the challenges facing rural India, in an unusual event in that includes on-the-ground voices from those at the sharp end of rural development.
