Question

An important reason why Muslim girls do not attend a school or drop out of school after a few years is _______.
A.Poverty
B.Superstition
C.Lack of willingness to go to school
D.None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: One of the basic problems that are faced concerning education in India is inaccessibility. Therefore, the government has always strived to address this issue through measures and programs in its five-year plans. In 2002, the 86th Amendment to the constitution made elementary education a fundamental right and in 2009, the Parliament passed the Right to Education Act. The provisions of this Act include free and compulsory education for all children between the age of 6-14 years. Despite the implementation of this Act, drop out at secondary and tertiary levels remain high, mainly among the rural population and minority groups.

Complete answer:Option A: is correct. In 2018, a report presented by Pew Research Centre concluded that based on data collected from over 50 countries across the world, education of Muslim women is limited by economic conditions and not religion. This is true even in the context of India. Women in rich Middle Eastern and Western countries tend to complete their education while those in developing countries, India being one of them, tend to drop out of school.
Option B: is incorrect. Although the Muslims are viewed as a traditional and conservative community who strictly adhere to their religion, superstitions or traditions have less of a role to play in their inability to complete their education.
Option C: is incorrect. Lack of education and higher drop out ratio is often due to inaccessibility of resources and lower-income rather than only an unwillingness to go to school.
Option D: is incorrect.

Thus, The correct answer is Option A.

Note: Overall in India, the reason for low literacy rate is most often due to poverty or lack of awareness. Most marginalised groups and economically weaker sections are unable to access quality education and thus end up dropping out after a few years. For children residing in rural areas, their parents who themselves are mostly illiterate are unwilling to send them to school. The cost of resources required for education like books, technology, transportation to and from school are also sometimes higher than they can afford.