ENROLMENT PATTERN AND RETENTION STATUS OF MUSLIM MINORITY GIRLS AT PRIMARY STAGE

Educating girls is equated with educating a family and so as educating a nation. Societies across globe though accord importance to education of girls, yet disparities and inequalities are noticed against girls and women. Equality of educational opportunities is fundamental to national development. It is more pertinent in the context of education of Muslim girls who are away from the mainstream of development --being born as girl and grown up with minority status. Due to efforts made by the government in last decades through DPEP and SSA programmes, states have achieved certain targets successfully in terms of educating girls in general and marginalised girls in particular. Though access has been widened and enrolment pattern has moved upward yet retention and achievement of girls in general and Muslim girls in particular has become a major concern for all states in the country. In order to enable Muslim girls to draw maximum benefits from education system, enrolment, retention and achievement are equally important. Muslim girls need extra care and attention in terms of enrolment and supporting their retention at primary stage. Therefore, enrolment pattern and retention of Muslim girls have become major concerns for the society. A number of factors has been examined and identified as the potential correlates of enrolment and retention at primary stage. Studies conducted earlier though provide sufficient empirical evidences on enrolment and retention, hardly any systematic attempt is noticed in relation to enrolment pattern and retention of Muslim primary school girls. In order to give a fillip in the existing literature on education of Muslim girls, an attempt has been made to study enrolment pattern and retention status of Muslim girls at primary stage. The present study was carried out among 500 Muslim primary school girls in five Muslim Concentrated Districts of Uttar Pradesh. Results of the study revealed that there exists variation in admission pattern and age of enrolment of Muslim girls in primary classes. It is found that retention rate of Muslim girls in selected primary schools is below the satisfactory level and Parents' wish is the single most factors responsible for retention of Muslim girls in all selected schools. Though schools and government have taken corrective measures in terms of encouraging enrolment pattern and retention rate, yet much ground is still left out to be explored where need for involvement of parents and community is highly warranted.