UNICEF Targets Educational Empowerment for Marginalized Communities

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) will offer education to around 30,000 adolescent girls from marginalized communities in the state. Unicef aims to transform the educational landscape for 10 million children across four states, including Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Assam. The initiative focuses on foundational learning and the development of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills from early childhood through adolescence.

The initiative will specifically target adolescent girls studying in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) and Tribal Ashramshalas, schools that serve the most marginalised groups in hard-to-reach rural areas.

In Jharkhand, more than 30,000 girls from KGBV and Jharkhand Balika Awasiya Vidyalayas (JBAV) will benefit from the programme. Initially, the initiative will be launched in seven districts including Jamtara, Ranchi, Giridih, West Singhbhum, Khunti, East Singhbhum, and Dumka, covering 82 educational institutions, including JBAV and KGBV. A total of 203 KGBV schools and 63 JBAV schools will be covered under the initiative.

Education specialist at Unicef, Parul Sharma, said, "The goal of providing these girls with quality STEM education is to bridge gender gaps in education and open up new opportunities for economic and social empowerment. Low-cost maker spaces will be established within schools, allowing adolescent girls to explore creative STEM subjects such as design thinking, computational analysis, and physical computing."