Author: Shafi Rahman
Publication: India Today
Date: July 26, 2010
URL: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/105620/Offtrack/girls-uninterrupted.html
Introduction: An all-girls' school in the heart of khap country is a major
success as five students make the transition to university
Rathora would have been like any other Jat
village in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, but for the pioneering efforts of 70-year-old
Jagbir Singh. The village, that hosts both Hindu and Muslim Jats, has historically
kept girls away from schools. "When I was in school, there was not a
single girl in our class as they were busy doing household chores", says
Singh, professor at the Fox School of Business at Temple University, Philadelphia.
It was when he received $15,000 in prize money for the Great Teacher Award
at his university that he decided to set up a school back home exclusively
for girls.
The Hoshiari Devi School, named after Singh's
mother, was started in 1998 and now caters to girls from villages as far as
10 km away. Singh, himself educated at a local madrasa, fought every inch
for the school. Initially, the village council was sceptical about giving
land as it suspected he would turn it into a business venture. The land once
given required him to evict a squatter. The next step was to convince the
villagers on educating their daughters. "When we approached villagers
asking them to send their daughters to school, they were reluctant. They felt
that educated girls would not find a suitable match," says Singh.
The first 30 students took a while arriving but then, Singh says, "The
girls were enthusiastic about studies and the arrival of television also pushed
up their aspirations". The school started teaching from Class VI, giving
admissions to students who cleared Class V from a nearby school. Singh also
set up a committee with people from all communities to administer its working.
The school has computer science, yoga and
rifle shooting classes and last year, had a 94.8 per cent pass percentage
in the state Class X board exam. It also won two scholarships from the Sports
Authority of India for air rifle training. For the first time this year, five
students have gone on to universities. "Now the girls convince their
parents to send their brothers for higher education. They are driving the
change here," says Singh. Talk about a ripple effect.
