Girls told to hone leadership skills

Updated on: Monday, April 23, 2012

Additional Joint Collector N. Ramesh Kumar on Saturday said girls must hone leadership qualities and they must be aware of their rights and social responsibilities.

Addressing the inaugural meeting of National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Education Level (NPEGEL), organised under the aegis of Rajiv Vidya Mission at Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation stadium, Mr. Ramesh said though the fairer sex constituted 50 per cent of the country's population, it lagged behind in terms of literacy rate. NPEGEL is a focussed intervention of the Government to reach the ‘hardest to reach' girls, especially those not in school. Launched in 2003, it is an important component of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which provides additional support for enhancing girl's education. The programme also provides for development of a ‘model school' in every cluster with more intense community mobilisation and supervision of girls' enrolment in schools. Andhra Pradesh is one of the 24 states where the scheme is being implemented. Listing out the series of programmes organised as part of Rajiv Vidya Mission, aimed at welfare of girls, he said the drive had been helpful in improving the literacy rate among them. He said the education drive was launched on a massive scale wherein school-age girls were not only being identified and enrolled in educational institutions, but they were given hostel facility. The authorities concerned were doing all they could to remove age-old social impediments like superstition and infusing self-esteem in the girl child. The vocational skills being imparted to them were aimed at enabling them to utilise the job opportunities created for them.

Mr. Ramesh Kumar said there was a need to create awareness on issues pertaining to discrimination and violence against fairer sex besides key sectors like health, rights and social responsibility. Referring to the NPEGEL, he said such programmes helped promote creative skills among girls and the latter must make use of the platform given to them. An exhibition of material prepared by girls of various schools was organised at the venue. Rajiv Vidya Mission District Project Officer Murali Krishna, National Child Labour Programme Project Director Anjaneya Reddy, Women and Child Welfare Department Project Director Swaroopa Rani, Rajiv Vidya Mission Child Development Officer A.L.M. Prakash Kumari, Assistant Child Development Officer Krishnaveni and others were present.

Girls told to hone leadership skills

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