How And Why The Right to Education Ends Too Early For Girls In India

A new study (2025) by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change for Children (C-LAB), in collaboration with Outline India, reports that 10,474 girls are not attending school in the 757 surveyed villages of five states – Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.

About the Right to Education (RTE) Act

• Limited Age Coverage: The Right to Education flows from Article 21A of the Constitution of India, which mandates the State to provide free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years.
• Exclusion of Older Children: A significant number of children reported as not attending school are likely to be above 14 years old and fall outside the RTE framework.
• Absence of Extended Legal Protection: There is no specific government programme or regulatory framework to ensure free and compulsory education beyond the age of 14.

Key Findings of the Report

• State-wise Distribution: Bihar accounts for the highest number of out-of-school girls at 5,781, followed by Rajasthan (1,627), Assam (1,127), Karnataka (1,051), and Maharashtra (888).
• Dropout Crisis: The report suggests that dropout rates at the secondary and higher secondary levels are substantially higher than those at the primary and upper primary levels.
• Spike in dropouts: Once children turn 14 (after Class 8), the government’s responsibility ends, leading to a massive spike in dropouts, particularly among girls.
• School Closures and Mergers: Between 2019 and 2025, approximately 32,500 government schools were closed or merged under the guise of rationalisation. 
• Increased Distance: School closures and mergers have increased travel distances, violating RTE norms, compromising children’s access to schooling, and making travel unsafe for girls, resulting in a 7.2% drop in enrolment.

Barriers to Attending School

• Role of Child Marriage: Early marriage remains a key socio-cultural factor behind girls not attending school, particularly in Bihar, Assam, and Rajasthan.
• Persistence Despite Decline: Although reported child marriage cases declined between 2022 and 2025, the practice remains widespread.
• Other Barriers: Poor economic conditions, inadequate infrastructure, safety concerns, lack of transport, and cultural norms and stigma also contribute to non-attendance.

Consequences of the Dropout Problem

• Barrier to Universalisation of Education: School dropout remains a significant obstacle to achieving universal education.
• Gendered Consequences: For girls, dropping out undermines dignity, autonomy, and reproductive health choices, and exposes them to vulnerabilities such as child labour and early marriage.
• Developmental Impact: School dropout limits future employment prospects, intellectual growth, and overall development, and hinders economic progress and sustainable development.

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Way Forward

• Multifaceted and Collaborative Approach: The report stresses the need for sustained, multifaceted interventions through collaboration between government and civil society.
• Strengthening and Expanding RTE: Effective implementation of the RTE Act and amending the RTE Act to extend the age limit from 14 to 18 years.
• Targeted Retention and Scholarships: Targeted retention programmes and scholarship schemes are necessary to reduce dropout rates and incentivise school completion.

Conclusion

The study exposes a critical post-14 education gap, where legal withdrawal, school rationalisation, and social barriers push girls out of classrooms. Extending RTE to 18 years, alongside targeted retention and safety measures, is essential to secure gender-just human capital development.

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