You are recently posted as district development officer of a district. Shortly thereafter you found that there is considerable tension in the rural areas of your district on the issue of sending girls to schools The elders of the village feel that many problems have come up because girls are being educated and they are stepping out of the safe environment of the household. They are of the view that the girls should be quickly married off with minimum education. The girls are also competing for jobs after education, which have traditionally remained in boys’ exclusive domain, adding to unemployment amongst .male population. The younger generation feels that in the present era, girls should have equal opportunities for education and employment, and other means of livelihood. The entire locality is divided between the elders and the younger lot and further sub-divided between sexes in both generations. You come to know that in Panchayat or in other local bodies or even in busy crossroads, the issue is being acrimoniously debated. One day you are informed that an unpleasant incident has taken place. Some girls were molested, when they were en route to schools. The incident led to clashes between several groups and a law and order problem has arisen. The elders after heated discussion have taken a joint decision not to allow girls to go to school and to socially boycott all such families, which do not follow their dictate (a) What steps would you take to ensure girls' safety without disrupting their education? (b) How would you manage and mould patriarchal attitude of the village elders to ensure harmony in the inter-generational relations?

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Q1.

You are recently posted as district development officer of a district. Shortly thereafter you found that there is considerable tension in the rural areas of your district on the issue of sending girls to schools The elders of the village feel that many problems have come up because girls are being educated and they are stepping out of the safe environment of the household. They are of the view that the girls should be quickly married off with minimum education. The girls are also competing for jobs after education, which have traditionally remained in boys’ exclusive domain, adding to unemployment amongst .male population. The younger generation feels that in the present era, girls should have equal opportunities for education and employment, and other means of livelihood. The entire locality is divided between the elders and the younger lot and further sub-divided between sexes in both generations. You come to know that in Panchayat or in other local bodies or even in busy crossroads, the issue is being acrimoniously debated. One day you are informed that an unpleasant incident has taken place. Some girls were molested, when they were en route to schools. The incident led to clashes between several groups and a law and order problem has arisen. The elders after heated discussion have taken a joint decision not to allow girls to go to school and to socially boycott all such families, which do not follow their dictate (a) What steps would you take to ensure girls' safety without disrupting their education? (b) How would you manage and mould patriarchal attitude of the village elders to ensure harmony in the inter-generational relations?25

Introduction

Like Savitribai Phule, who faced boycott for opening a girls' school in Pune in 1848, the officer must restore order without letting fear end girls' education. The core dilemma is between Girls' Right to Education and Social Harmony with the elders.

(a) Steps to Ensure Girls' Safety Without Disrupting Their Education

Girls' Education vs Social Harmony. Venn diagram: Girls' Education, Social Harmony; overlap: Safe schooling, elders as guardians

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Justice first

Register FIRs at once, under the POCSO Act, 2012 where the girls are minors, as Lalita Kumari (2013) [case] requires.

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Safe route

Run women police patrols on school routes, like Kerala's Pink Police Patrol (2016) [scheme], plus escorted group travel and bicycles.

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No lost days

Hold temporary classes in the village if tension peaks, since a pause often becomes a dropout.

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Void the boycott

Declare the social boycott unlawful, relying on Shakti Vahini (2018) [case], where the Supreme Court curbed khap-style diktats.

(b) Managing and Moulding the Patriarchal Attitude of Village Elders

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Listen first

Use Emotional Intelligence to acknowledge the elders' fear for their daughters, and answer it honestly.

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Answer the jobs fear

Show that educated daughters add to household income; scarce jobs are a problem of growth, not of girls studying.

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Shared forums

Hold Gram Sabha dialogues and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao [scheme] events with both generations, and give elders a seat on the school safety committee.

Justification:

Rawls's Difference Principle: a just arrangement helps the least advantaged, here the girls whose schooling is at risk.

Conclusion

The officer should neither surrender to the diktat nor humiliate the elders, but make them guardians of girls' safety. Article 21A, secured through consent, is Constitutional Morality in practice.

This model answer is indicative and the model can make mistakes; please verify key facts independently.

Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2015 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.