National Girl Child Day: Experts Pitch Higher Budget Push For Girls’ Education
As India marks National Girl Child Day, experts urge higher education spending, gender-focused budgeting and teacher recruitment, saying real empowerment requires sustained fiscal commitment.
Published : January 24, 2026 at 4:33 PM IST
By Surabhi Gupta
New Delhi: Every year on January 24, India observes National Girl Child Day, reaffirming the country’s commitment to supporting, uplifting and empowering girls across all sections of society.
Launched in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the day serves as a reminder of both the progress made and the deep-rooted challenges that continue to confront millions of girls across the country.
The observance comes at a time when policymakers, educators and economists are once again flagging the urgent need for sustained public investment in girls’ education, health and skill development, especially with the Union Budget around the corner.
While social and health indicators have improved over the years, experts stress that gender bias, female foeticide, child marriage, malnutrition, health disparities and unequal access to education remain persistent barriers to true empowerment.
Despite ambitious policy frameworks and flagship schemes, the lived reality for many girls, particularly in rural areas and smaller towns, continues to be shaped by systemic discrimination and limited opportunities in academics, science and technology, sports, defence services and leadership roles.
Former NCERT Director Professor JS Rajput underscored that the biggest missing link remains public investment in education.
“All this will go when the budget provides for 6 per cent of GDP. This is the assurance we have been getting after the Kothari Commission report of 1964–65 and from the National Education Policy of 1968 onwards,” he told ETV Bharat. “Every government has promised 6 per cent of GDP for education, but it has never materialised.”
- “Every government has promised 6 per cent of GDP for education, but it has never materialised.”
— Prof JS Rajput, former NCERT Director
Rajput emphasised that budgetary commitments must translate into specific provisions for girls. “The budget should include specific provisions for girls. Even if there is only one school, it should have an adequate number of teachers,” he said, pointing to the chronic shortage of teachers across the country. “In our country, many educational institutions, especially colleges, both government and private, suffer from a shortage of teachers.”
Highlighting the importance of women educators, he added that the emphasis should be placed on appointing teachers, particularly female teachers, so that they can interact with our girls and young women, understand their feelings, and instil self-confidence in them. “They should not feel ignored or neglected, and they should not feel dependent on anybody. They must realise their strength,” Rajput said.
He also stressed the need for better training, saying that the country doesn’t have enough well-trained teachers and give more and more training and special coaching to women teachers so that they know what girls need, and girl students can talk freely to them.
“Whatever has been said about the education of girls in the National Education Policy should be released and literally followed in all institutions. There should be no apprehension of any discrimination.”
Recalling a major historical shift, Rajput credited the Kothari Commission and the 10+2 education structure for opening doors for girls in science and mathematics.
“On this day, I would like to recall Dr D.S. Kothari, who for the first time said that up to Class 10, girls and boys would both study science and mathematics,” he said. “Before that, girls were not supposed to be good in mathematics and science and were allowed options like spinning, weaving and home science.”
“It was this great scientist and physicist who said, ‘No, this is incorrect. Girls can do better,’ and they have done better than boys,” he added. “The 10+2 formula allowed all girls to study science and made it compulsory up to Class 10. Since then, girls have marched ahead with confidence and have done wonderfully well in every branch, science, space, nuclear and everywhere.”
Linking education to broader economic outcomes, Professor Seema Sharma from IIT Delhi highlighted gender equity as a prerequisite for inclusive growth. “I strongly believe that the goal of inclusive growth cannot be attained unless gender equity is established at all levels of education,” she said.
Drawing global comparisons, Sharma pointed out, “Women’s participation in developed countries is more than 70 per cent, whereas in India the female workforce participation rate is approximately 40 per cent.”
- “Inclusive growth cannot be achieved unless gender equity is established at all levels of education.”
— Prof Seema Sharma, IIT Delhi
She argued that India must convert this gap into an opportunity and needs to convert the weakness into a great strength in a mission mode. This strategic transformation will position India, the fastest-growing economy, at the forefront of the world’s development canvas, he said.
Calling for higher gender-focused allocations, Sharma said that higher gender budgeting for promoting quality education and skill development programmes for girls can be a quantum leap.
She also highlighted the potential of corporate social responsibility. “CSR funds can be used in a more structured, rather than fragmented, way so that high-impact results can be obtained towards women’s economic and social empowerment,” she said.
Academia, she added, has a critical role to play. “At IIT Delhi, we are helping micro-level women entrepreneurs by providing them with business education and helping them scale up their businesses.”
Economist Sharad Kohli echoed concerns about uneven access to education, particularly between urban and rural India. “We need to prepare young girls for tomorrow,” he said. “The gap between education in villages, tier-four and tier-five cities, and the education being given in public schools in tier-one and tier-two cities needs to be filled.”
“The child is as innocent as it can be, and there is no fault of the child,” Kohli added, arguing for targeted policy interventions. “Some kind of incentives should be given to families who allow their girl child to complete her education.”
“If girls get fully educated, you would expect not just a better society, but a very strong India,” he said. “Girls would contribute to the growth of this country as much as the country needs at this point.”
From the ground level, Awadhesh Kumar Jha, Principal of Sarvodaya Co-Ed Vidyalaya and a National Teacher Awardee, stressed the importance of strengthening government schools. “I hope the upcoming budget focuses on strengthening basic school infrastructure, improving teacher training, and ensuring adequate resources for classrooms and digital learning in government schools of Delhi,” he said.
- “If girls get fully educated, you don’t just build a better society — you build a stronger India.”
— Economist Sharad Kohli
“Focused funding in these areas is essential to provide quality, inclusive education and to bridge the learning gap, especially for students from underprivileged backgrounds,” Jha added.
Dr Nitu Goswami, professor at DU, told ETV Bharat, “The pre-budget expectations are that the government will consider girl child education not merely a social responsibility, but a fundamental pillar of nation-building. Only when girls are educated can the dream of an empowered, inclusive, and self-reliant India be realised. There is an African Proverb that says, "Save the girl child, educate the girl child, this is not just a slogan, but a national resolve. An educated girl educates two families
She added 5 points:
- Increased Budget Allocation for Girl Child Education.
The number of schools in rural, tribal, and underprivileged areas should be increased, and special attention should be paid to basic infrastructure such as toilets, safe buildings, and clean drinking water. It is said that Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world, by Nelson Mandela
- Expansion of Scholarship and Incentive Schemes
The upcoming budget is expected to make scholarship schemes for girls more comprehensive and accessible, so that no girl is deprived of education due to financial reasons. Special financial assistance should be provided at the secondary and higher education levels.
- Bridging the Digital Divide in the Pre-Budget
Girls' participation in digital education should be ensured. Providing digital education, online resources, tablets/laptops, and internet facilities for girls is crucial. It is said by Brigham Young thay When you educate a girl, you educate an entire society.
- "Only when girls are educated can the dream of an empowered, inclusive, and self-reliant India be realised."
- DU Professor Dr Nitu Goswami
- Skill Development and Employment-Oriented Education
Promote vocational education and sports education.
- Safety and Inclusive Educational Environment
The budget should include special provisions to ensure the safety of girls in schools and colleges. Counselling, health facilities, and gender-sensitive programs should be implemented. She summed up the recalling phrase by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, “The empowerment of the girl child is the foundation of a strong nation.”
As India marks National Girl Child Day, experts agree that symbolic observance must be backed by concrete fiscal and institutional action. With the Union Budget approaching, they say the real test lies in whether long-standing promises on education spending, gender budgeting and inclusive growth, finally translate into sustained outcomes for India’s girls.
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