Partner: UNDP
Duration: January 2012 to December 2012
Locale: Districts of KP
Introduction:
A stipend programme for secondary school girls in seven districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was framed during 2006-07. The programme, which aims to increase secondary school enrolments of females was a part of the Mid Term Development Framework to help reduce the gender imbalances so that the development process could work on a more equitable basis. For the year 2007-08, the province had 57% literacy rate for males and 20% for females. The fundamental reason for this low female literacy rate is poverty as the girls have to work with their parents to earn the basic necessities of life. The stipend programme intends to provide opportunity to the girls from poor families to get education.
Objectives:
- To review the outputs and outcomes associated with the subject programme and suggest ways to improve the effectiveness of the programme
- To review the overall performance of the programme in terms of its progress towards the targeted objectives and outcome indicators
- To identify prospective change(s) required in the programme design and compensatory schemes to enhance the progress and meet the targets/expected outcomes within the programme timeframe.
- To evaluate the transmission channels and its capacity to reach the poor; its impact on different groups of population and the analysis of groups to benefit the most from them.
- To analyze the educational as well as non-educational factors adding to or detracting from the intended impact of the programme
- To evaluate the role played by the programme in reducing the gender gap in educational indicators.
- To assess the monitoring & evaluation system associated with the programme and the risk factors, including the role of Parent Teacher Councils
- To review the process of stipend distribution
- To identify the actions needed for the better implementation of recommendations taking into account the socioeconomic and institutional factors
Activities:
- Primary data collection
- Publication of a report on PSIA programme
- Disseminate findings of the study
Findings:
The results of the present study show that 81% of females are indulged in household chores whereas 10% spends time in non-farm activities to support their families. The information from FGDs reveals that in several families, secondary schoolgirls work in informal labour markets to support their families. This is a key reason for high dropout rate particularly in the poorest regions. The poorest segment wants their children to visit their schools regularly, but financial restraints curtail them. The poorest living in conflict-hit areas received least transfer payments. Moreover, the amount of stipend was not assessed or revised on scientific basis.
Recommendations:
- A committee, comprising representatives from relevant government departments and civil society representatives, should be formed to investigate reasons behind such lapses. The issues put forwarded by this committee should then be carefully addressed.
- A public awareness campaign should be launched in hard areas to inform the neediest households about such transfer programmes, as officials cited the lack of financial resources as a key reason not to pursue an awareness campaign.
International publication: An analysis of the social impact of the stipend program for secondary school girls of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
