95.9 percent of girls in Punjab are currently enrolled in education institution-Teenage Girls Report

Chandigarh: 95.9 percent young girls aged 13-19 years in Punjab  are currently studying, compared to a national average of 80.6 percent, as per the findings of The Teen Age Girls (TAG) Report. The TAG report-card reveals what it really means to be a teenage girl in India. It is presented by Project Nanhi Kali, and compiled by Naandi Foundation, with grant support from Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
 
There are 80 million teenage girls in India today and over 17.11 lakh in Punjab (Census, 2011). There was a critical data gap on how these young girls are doing, their dreams and aspirations, how dignified and safe they feel, whether they have access to education, clean drinking water, sanitation. The TAG Report has been put together in an endeavour to bridge this gap.
 
The survey findings have been used to prepare a TAG Index which compares the performance of each state on status of their teenage girls. It can be considered as a roadmap for policy makers, researchers, activists and the ordinary citizen of India.
 
Other Punjab specific highlights of the study:
 
Education and marriage
•         98.8 percent of teenage girls in Punjab are unmarried
•         95.6 percent of the girls aspire to marry only after they are 21 years old.
•         75.1 percent wish to pursue higher studies
•         97.9 percent of the girls wish to learn English and computer skills
•         90.2 percent of the girls wish to work after their studies and have a specific career in mind
 
Health & Well Being
•         90.8 percent of teenage girls in Punjab do not go for open defecation
•         84.1 percent of the girls use hygienic methods of menstrual protection
•         40.7 percent of teenage girls in Punjab have normal levels of haemoglobin
•         60.2 percent teenage girls in Punjab have a normal Body Mass Index (BMI)
 
Manoj Kumar, CEO, Naandi Foundation said, "The TAG Report was born out of the realization that more needs to be done to ensure India’s young girls grow up to be confident, informed, self-reliant, and independent young women. Project Nanhi Kali will leverage these findings to explore new opportunities that will enable these girls to live their aspirations and encourage people to #ListenToHer.”