IIM-A study on sanitation workers indicates their eagerness to educate their daughters

Updated on: Monday, October 08, 2012

Despite low literacy rates, financial difficulties and health problems, the sanitation workers in Ahmedabad are eager to send their daughters to school.

A study by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) on sanitation workers says that 44 per cent of such families in Ahmedabad want to provide education to girls.

"While this may not be a high number, despite all the hardships and discriminations that the community has to endure, almost half of them do view education of girls as important," says the study 'An Assessment of Livelihood and Educational Status of Sanitation Workers in Ahmedabad, Gujarat' by faculty member Navdeep Mathur along with project associates Ashish Mishra and Indraraj Dodiya.

According to the study, 44 per cent said that girls should be educated and 22 per cent said that some education should be given to girls. The study says that 32 per cent said no to girls' education and 2 per cent did not specify their opinion. The reasons for not providing education to girl child are that girls are not safe in school and outside and that there may be a problem in finding a groom for educated girls.

In 62 per cent of the families surveyed, at least one member had completed primary level schooling but most dropped out soon after, 8 per cent have completed high school, 14 per cent have been to an institute of higher education and 4 per cent have graduated from college. Yet 12 per cent remain without education.

"Given the low literacy rates yet a positive attitude and openness towards girls' education in the community, a policy needs to be designed that leads to an aggressive rise in their literacy rate," the study suggests.

This study was conducted in 25 neighborhoods and five zones of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation ( AMC). A total of 50 sanitation workers were interviewed and through them the condition of their families was understood.

More than 80,000 families are involved in cleaning sewage drains and manually removing human excreta, besides sweeping roads.

The workers have to battle life-threatening diseases common among sanitation workers, pathetic working conditions, health problems, challenges in accessing and continuing with education, problems specifically faced by the women workers apart from financial difficulty and workplace injuries.

The workers spend about 25% of their income on medical expenses. "This data therefore underscores a positive trend and one that the state government can use to further promote education for girls among these families," says the study.

IIM-A study on sanitation workers indicates their eagerness to educate their daughters

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