Higher schools far away, Patiala girls dropping out

Mohit Khanna

Rajpura, July 22

Navreet Kaur, a Class X student, gazes wistfully at her books, knowing they will no longer be her companion next year. For, the distance between home and schools has become a barrier for many girls like her who want to pursue higher education, forcing them to drop out after Class VIII or X.

Schools to be upgraded

If any high school fulfils the criteria, it can be upgraded to the senior secondary level. I urge principals of high schools to send proposals and we will act immediately. — Sanjiv Sharma, District Edu officer

Unsafe travel conditions and lack of affordable transport are to blame for many girls from nearly 10 villages located along the Patiala-Rajpura highway for giving up education, mocking the government’s much-touted “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” slogan.

Navreet’s plight is shared by many girls of Khandoli, Bhadak, Jakhran, Gajipur, Khanpur Gandian, Badholi Gujjran, Dhendsa and other villages in Patiala district. Due to lack of a senior secondary school nearby and affordable transportation network, the educational future of the girls appears bleak. In the serene Khanpur village, a sombre reality looms over many young girls. The nearest senior secondary school is 14 or 16 km away — either at Kauli village or Rajpura town — and the journey is long and fraught with risks. “The link roads in villages are broken due to the movement of vehicles from brick-kilns, sand dumps and shellers,” explains Navreet.

The poor condition of the roads and the high cost of private transportation pose significant challenges to students. A majority of them, be it boys or girls, have to walk 3 km on the broken road before they reach the highway and get transport to their schools. Most residents in these villages are small-scale farmers and farm labourers who rely on government schools for the education of their children.

While the boys manage to cycle to Rajpura town, the girls do not have such a “luxury”. Walking in scorching heat and humidity on a broken road surrounded by paddy fields, Puja (23), from Khanpur, knows this struggle all too well.

She left her studies a decade ago after Class X because her parents couldn’t afford the cost of transport to the senior secondary school in Rajpura. “Many girls from Dhindsa, Jhakran, Gazipur and Khandoli share my fate,” she says. “If the government provides a free bus service, we can continue with our education and build a better future for ourselves.”

Komal Kaur, 20, faces the same dilemma. As she cooks food on a mud chulha at her home, she reflects on her situation. “My parents cannot afford a gas cylinder, let alone my education expenses,” she says sadly.

Her parents, Harnek Singh, a labourer, and Kamlesh Kaur, a housewife, say the bus service costs Rs 1,200 per student. Komal had to drop out and help at home as they could not afford this service.

Elderly residents like Labh Singh (78), Amar Singh (60) and Naseeb Singh (58) express concern over the rising dropout rate among girls. “It is affecting their matrimonial prospects as well,” says Labh Singh. “No family wants a girl who is not educated up to a certain level. This is either leading to a delay in marriage or unsuitable proposals.”

Highlighting a missed opportunity, Satnam Singh Satti, a resident of Khanpur, says, “The panchayat has allocated 4 acres for a senior secondary school, but without funds and government approval, it remains unused.”

At Government High School, Kheri Gandhean, the girls who recently passed out of Class X are anxious about their future. Voicing her concern, Neha, the school topper from Badholi village, says, “The high school should be upgraded to the senior secondary level. Travelling to Rajpura is impractical. I fear my dream of getting higher education will meet the same fate as that of many other girls of the village.”

Calling for urgent government intervention, residents demand a senior secondary school in their area, besides a school bus for every village panchayat. “Without a concrete solution, the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign will remain just a slogan,” says Rajiv Kumar from Kheri Gandhean village.