The country has witnessed a surge in enrolment of girls at all levels of school education between 2018 and 2020 under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, informed the Ministry of Education. The Ministry outlined the key achievements in the education sector through an official release on Wednesday, March 16. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), which measures the general level of participation has improved between 2018-20 at all levels of school education.

As per the data available on Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) and UDISE+, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of girls has increased from 101.78 in 2018-19 to 103.69 in 2019-20 in the primary section, while in the upper primary section, it has increased from 88.54 in 2018-19 to 91.46 in 2019-20. In the secondary section, the GER increased from 76.93 in 2018-19 to 77.83 in 2019-20, while in higher secondary, the numbers increased from 50.84 in 2018-19 to 52.40 in 2019-20, said the Ministry of Education in an official statement.

"Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education is one of the major objectives of Samagra Shiksha," stated the Ministry. The UDISE/UDISE+ presents the variety of enrolments in blocks and districts across the country under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. 

To reduce gender gaps at all levels of school education, there is a provision of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) under Samagra Shiksha. KGBVs are residential schools from Class VI to XII for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL). A total of 5,627 KGBVs have been sanctioned under Samagra Shiksha as of February 22, in which 6,65,130 girls have been enrolled. In Uttar Pradesh, 760 KGBVs are operational having an enrolment of 78,820 girls, said the Ministry of Education.