Uttar Pradesh (Women's Feature Service) - Every day, the lives of hundreds of adolescent girls, belonging to the scheduled caste (SC), scheduled tribe (ST) and other backward castes (OBC), in Uttar Pradesh (UP) are changing for the better. And the change has been brought about by the advent of quality education, courtesy the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), residential schools set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD). Young women, who could barely read or write until a few years ago, can now converse fluently and confidently, dabble in creative writing and use the computer.

The KGBV scheme was launched in July 2004 for educationally backward blocks of the country where female rural literacy levels fall below the national average (46.13 per cent) and where the gender gap in literacy is above the national average (21.67 per cent). The scheme provides a minimum reservation of 75 per cent of seats for girls belonging to SC, ST, OBC or minority communities. For the remaining 25 per cent, priority is given to those living below the poverty line.

The scheme is operational in 24 states. As of January 10, 2008, 1,724 KGBVs are reported to be functional, with 123,511 girls enrolled, across the country.

The schools are run or supported by local NGOs - like Disha in Saharanpur, Shahswat Sansthan in Sitapur, and Manav Vikas Kendra in Gorakhpur - or by the Mahila Samakhya - an education support project for rural women under the Ministry of HRD. Interestingly, most of the institutions are not just looking to make the teenagers proficient at studies: they are grooming them to become confident young women and responsible citizens.

Amongst the over 123-odd KGBVs across the state, those run by the Mahila Samakhya stand out for their achievements. Situated in districts like Mathura, Muzzafarnagar, Saharanpur, Sitapur, Balrampur, Shrawasti, Behraich, Gorakhpur, Mau, Chitrakoot, Allahabad, Varanasi, Jaunpur and Pratapgarh, the schools fulfill the norms relating to infrastructure, education and the curriculum, with its emphasis on personality development.

Girls between the age group of 10 and 18 years are accepted, though there have been instances of even 22-year-olds joining KGBVs. Teaching is according to the curriculum set by the UP State Board. Till last year, the girls used to pass out from class 10, but from this year the schools have been extended till class 12. At the end of the term the girls sit for the state-level UP Board Examination.

Sapna, 15, dropped out of school around five years ago because of financial constraints. When she joined the KGBV in Sitapur district two years ago, she could not even speak properly. Today, Sapna reads and writes perfectly and has learnt to sing. Rojina, 14, a student of the KGBV in Behraich district, experienced a similar transformation. Having run away from home rather than be married off, she reached the school and expressed a desire to study. The Mahila Samakhya team then met Rojina's parents and convinced them to enroll her at the KGBV. A former school drop-out, Rojina is now in class five, doing her parents proud with her grades and excellent art work.

Ipsha Singh, the Mahila Samakhya coordinator at Sitapur says, "When the girls enrol, they are shy, introverts and do not even talk to one another. But slowly, their desire to study and come into their own takes over and their personality undergoes a complete change. Most of the girls discover latent talents."

Education has made a world of difference to the lives of the young girls and has even initiated an attitudinal change in their parents. Heera, 17, who is a student at KBV Gorakhpur has run away from home and joined the school two years back when her parents were insisting on marrying her off. Now, as she is set to sit for her class ten exam, her father, Sangram Singh Rai, admits that his daughter's decision to study was right. "Now, if nothing else, we will at least be able to find a better groom for her. Also, at KGBV my daughter has become more confident and healthier, too," says Rai, with a smile.

Monitoring and improving the health of the girls is an important function of the KGBVs and so health charts are prepared regularly for each child. Interestingly, a look at some of the charts indicates that after their enrolment at the school not only have most girls gained weight, but those suffering from nutritional deficiencies such as low haemoglobin have improved in health.

Reshma, 15, a student of KGBV Allahabad, had a haemoglobin count of around six (ideal range is between 11 to 13 units) and weighed a mere 30 kilograms at the time of admission. Thanks to a sustained healthy diet at school, she now weighs 46 kilograms and her haemoglobin count has reached nine. Meenakshi Singh, MS coordinator, Allahabad, says, "We follow a diet chart prepared by experts, which ensures maximum nutrition at minimal costs. The menu has a wide variety of items prepared hygienically in our own kitchens." Singh remembers how one of the girls refused to eat food when she first joined. "She had never tasted 'dal' (lentil) or rice topped with melted 'ghee' (clarified butter). At her house, they just ate once a day and at times, had to even survive on water. When she got three regular meals she was scared, convinced that she would fall sick if she ate 'too much'." It took a lot of convincing on Singh's part before the girl took to eating properly. She has now discovered she even has a knack for cooking!

But it's not just education and health care that the KGBVs are concentrating on. Information Technology (IT) learning and disaster management are part of the curriculum as well. Dr Smriti Singh, programme officer at Mahila Samakahya, says, "We try to educate these girls, around 100 at each centre, in such a way that they can move with the times. And computer learning is an essential part of this approach. As part of their summer training, we teach them to work on computers. Most girls have never even seen a computer. But now, they are slowly learning. In fact, some have expressed their desire to become graduates in computer science after passing out from the KGBVs."

MS has initiated a new disaster management training programme in their KGBVs, depending on the relative region-specific natural disasters. For example, children in districts like Behraich, Balrampur and Shravasti will get training in managing floods; those in Chitrakoot, Allahabad, Mau and Varanasi will be trained in groundwater and water management. Girls in western UP districts will learn about rainwater harvesting. Dr Rashmi Sinha, the state project director of Mahila Samakhya, puts it this way, "We want these students to not just help themselves during disasters, but also others around them. The training would now become a regular affair at all our KGBVs."