After years of work in the field of education Educate Girls Globally (EGG) has come to the conclusion that reforming government schools is the most important step for expanding educational opportunities for girls in many countries. Its experiences in numerous countries show that the most powerful mechanism for reforming government schools is parental and community participation and ownership.

EGG has selected Uttaranchal as its first expansion site to introduce the concept of community ownership for improving girls education for several reasons. Located in the extreme north of the country, bordering Nepal and Tibet, Uttaranchal has only 8.5 million people. The people are extremely poor and the women bear unusual burdens of caring for families, walking miles for water, fodder and fuel wood and doing all agricultural work. The gender gap and literacy rate in Uttaranchal are similar to Karnataka. Secondly it is a newly formed state (formed in November  2000) with a new government that is open to reforms and dedicated to girls’ education. Also being a new state it is keen to showitself as a pro-people state and be a model for other states of India to follow.The popular view is that a smaller state would be more appreciative to local situations, sensitive to local cultural traditions and inclined to adopt pragmatic approaches to problem solving. The government is focussed on transforming Uttaranchal into an economic powerhouse while meeting the basic needs and popular aspirations of the local people.

In Uttaranchal EGG has chosen Shri Bhuvneshwari Mahila Ashram (SBMA) as the partner agency. This project on improving girl’s education in the government schools of Uttaranchal was initiated in June 2003 in the name of “APIL” – a people’s initiative for learning.

The objective of the programme being implemented in Uttaranchal is to increase enrolment and retention rates of girls in government schools through active community participation in select schools in select districts of Uttaranchal. Along with this, the program also focuses on quality improvement in the education for girls so that it is according to their needs and aspirations and they have joyful learning experiences in the schools.

Summary

In collaboration with “Shri Bhuvaneshwari Mahila Ashram” (SBMA) the Program APIL (a people’s initiative for learning) launched in 2003.

Operating at large scales and low cost APIL has so far reached more than 1400 schools, serving about 80.000 children.