“You educate a man, you educate a family; you educate a woman, you educate a community.” These timeless words, attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, reflect a truth India is still reckoning with: when girls are educated, everyone benefits. And yet, millions of Indian girls are still denied access to even basic education despite decades of policy reforms and social initiatives.
In 2023, over 4 million adolescent girls in India were reported out of school, according to the Ministry of Education. While universal enrolment in primary schools has improved over the years, retention drops significantly as girls grow older. The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) data from 2021-22 shows that the Gross Enrolment Ratio for girls drops from 99.67% at the primary level to 76.6% at the higher secondary level. And these figures hide deeper disparities based on caste, income, location, and religion.
In rural areas, girls’ education is often the first sacrifice when families face economic pressure. Whether due to poverty, early marriage, domestic responsibilities, or a lack of accessible and safe schools, too many girls are still being kept at home. The 2011 Census reported a national female literacy rate of 65.46%, while male literacy was 82.14%. In states like Bihar and Rajasthan, the gender literacy gap remains above 20 percentage points. Even in urban areas, systemic biases persist, especially among marginalised communities.
And yet, the benefits of educating girls in India are irrefutable. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), women with 10 or more years of schooling are far more likely to delay marriage and childbirth, access healthcare, and ensure their children are vaccinated. A 2019 World Bank study concluded that every additional year of schooling for girls in India could increase their future income by up to 20%.
More education also translates into better health outcomes. India still contributes to a significant portion of the world’s maternal deaths, and studies show that women with secondary education are three times more likely to receive prenatal care and give birth in a health facility compared to those with no education. Furthermore, children of educated mothers are more likely to survive infancy and complete their own schooling.
So why does this gap persist?
The problem isn’t only about access—it’s about sensitisation. Sensitisation goes beyond awareness. It’s about changing the cultural and structural norms that continue to undervalue girls. In many families, especially in economically disadvantaged regions, girls are still seen as temporary members expected to marry, move away, and support someone else’s household. Education, therefore, is often seen as a luxury rather than a right or an investment.
India has launched several ambitious initiatives to address this. Schemes like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) residential schools for girls from marginalised groups, and the National Scheme of Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education are steps in the right direction. Midday meal programmes and free textbooks have helped increase attendance at the primary level. However, implementation gaps, insufficient infrastructure (especially for adolescent girls), and social resistance often dilute their impact.
Furthermore, the lack of gender-sensitive infrastructure such as functional girls’ toilets, sanitary pad disposal units, and safe transport—is a critical barrier. A 2018 ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) survey revealed that 23% of rural schools in India lacked usable girls’ toilets. For many adolescent girls, this becomes a reason to drop out after puberty.
There’s also the issue of representation. According to UDISE+ 2021-22, only 47.2% of teachers in India are female. Having more women teachers has been shown to increase girls’ enrolment and retention, especially in conservative communities.
And then there’s the curriculum itself. What girls learn should reflect their realities and aspirations, not just traditional gender roles. Incorporating life skills, digital literacy, reproductive health education, and vocational training can help make education more relevant and empowering.
Encouragingly, we have powerful examples to learn from. At Smile Foundation, the She Can Fly initiative is designed to integrate girl child education with nutrition, health, life skills, and family counselling. Girls are mentored, their families are sensitised, and local influencers are brought in to shift harmful gender norms. It’s an approach that recognises that educating a girl doesn’t happen in isolation but it’s a community transformation process.
These community-based models work. In districts where She Can Fly operates, dropout rates have fallen and confidence among adolescent girls has risen. Parents who once resisted education are now attending school events and planning for their daughters’ higher education. Change is possible but it requires consistent investment, cultural humility, and political will.
As India positions itself as a global economic leader, we must ask—what does growth mean if half our potential is left behind? The demographic dividend India hopes to capitalise on rests squarely on the shoulders of its young people. And no nation can afford to ignore its girls.
Educating India’s daughters is not a soft issue. It is a development imperative, a public health strategy, and a human rights obligation. And perhaps most importantly, it is the key to building a more inclusive, resilient, and prosperous India.
Let us move beyond slogans and symbols. Let us invest in policies, people, and programmes that do the hard work of changing hearts and systems. Let every girl in India learn, not because we owe her charity, but because she deserves the chance to lead.
