NSIGSE

The National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education promotes the girl child's enrolment of 14-18 years age group at secondary stage, who passes class 8th and subsequently drops out for various socio-economic reasons.

The National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education promotes the girl child's enrolment of 14-18 years age group at secondary stage, who passes class 8th and subsequently drops out for various socio-economic reasons. The proposed scheme is further intended to retain such girl children up to class 12th. In the year 2004-05, the dropout rate of girls from classes 1st to 8th was about 50.8%. For classes 1st to 10th the dropout rate of girls was about 64% in the same year. Hence, only 36% of the country's girl students could be retained up to class 10th. This is the combined result of several socio-economic factors, but a major contributor is no doubt the inability of the parents to afford the cost of education of the girl child.

• The applicant should be a girl child.
• The applicant should be from Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe SC/ST
• The applicant should have passed class 8th from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidhalayas (irrespective of whether they belong to Scheduled Castes or Tribes)
• The applicant should have enrolled for class 9th in State/UT Government, Government-aided, or local body schools in the academic year 2008-09 onwards.

• A sum of ₹3000/- would be deposited under term deposit/ fixed deposit in a public sector bank or in a post office in the name of every eligible girl child.
• The term/ period of the deposit may be counted from the date of deposit to the date on which the girl child attains the age of 18 years. No premature withdrawal will be allowed.

• Married girls will be excluded from the scheme.
• Girl children studying in private unaided schools are proposed to be excluded since a majority of such schools charge high fees and therefore, parents of such girl students may not require the financial assistance that is being offered under this scheme.
• Students enrolled in schools run by Central Government are also being excluded from the scheme, as these children are either fully provided for already, or are those of Central Government employees, who can afford the education of their children, without further support.