In 2016, 92% of 15-year-old children were enrolled in secondary schools, up from 76% in 2009. Also, increase in enrolment of Scheduled Tribe children was particularly high at 93%, up from 61% during the same period. For ST girls, it was 89% and 70% respectively in Telangana.
Children attending private schools increased from 33% to 40% with the enrolment biased towards boys at 46%, other castes 70% and urban children at 72%.
But the bad news is that though stunting due to malnutrition among 15-year-olds has been reduced considerably in 2016 compared to 2009 from 37% to 32%, one-third of the children continue to suffer from malnutrition with 32% stunting and 30% thinness.
If stunting due to malnutrition is 22% in other castes, it is 43% in Scheduled Caste children, indicating significant inequalities that persist across socio-economic groups as per a joint study conducted by Young Lives, an international study in childhood poverty, and Centre for Economic & Social Studies (CESS). The study was conducted in the districts of Mahabubnagar, Karminagar and Hyderabad over a period of 15 years between 2002-2016 with repeat checks every three years.
“We have studied the life course of about 3,000 children of one year and eight years of age covering various stages of development – infancy, adolescence and transition into adulthood – to check for growth, nutrition, poverty, education, and youth employment,” said CESS Director S. Galab and principal investigator, during the release of preliminary findings here on Tuesday.
Srikakulam, West Godavari, Anantapur and Kadapa districts in Andhra Pradesh were also part of the study with almost near identical findings, said P. Prudhvikar Reddy, one of the authors.
Young Lives India Country Report-2016 was taken up in united A.P. to study the impact of economic reforms initiated then and was part of the four nation study (Peru, Vietnam and Ethiopia included), taken up by the Department For International Development (DFID) and Oxford University.
More distressing news is that while improvement in sanitation during the period was noticed, it remains 34% for STs when compared to 58% for other castes and 27% in rural areas as against 97% in urban areas. Only 29% of the sample had sanitation by 2016.
Even if there is an overall increase of average wealth overtime, no change was observed in 11% of vulnerable poor with substantial inequalities persisting between SC/STs and other castes.
Prof. Galab called for policy interventions in tightening social safety network of public distribution system, quality classroom teaching, arresting corporal punishments, ensuring nutritious midday meals, skills training, tackling child marriages and others to arrest child poverty.
Finance Minister Eatala Rajender, who released the report, claimed that the Telangana government was making efforts in the areas identified, that includes providing quality education to children of vulnerable sections by starting residential schools and ensuring them nutritious food. Through Mission Bhagiratha, potable drinking water was being supplied, and farmers were being helped through several schemes.
Agriculture University Vice-Chancellor V. Praveen Rao said integration of inputs from agriculture, nutrition, health and education was the need of the hour. Renu Singh, Young Lives country director, gave an overview of the situation in three other countries, while CESS chairman R. Radhakrishna presided over the event.
