Guwahati: Assam Cabinet formally declared today that 35,800 scooters would be given to deserving Higher Secondary (HS) students of Assam.
The difference in the cutoff score between boys and girls raises questions about the concept of “gender equality,” though.
Contrary to what had been originally announced, the government chose to give scooters to boys and girls according to two distinct cut-off scores based on gender.
Scooters will be given out by the government to 6,052 boys who received a 75% or higher on their HS Exams.
Meanwhile,as part of the Pragyan Bharti Scheme, 29,748 girls who received a score of 60% or higher will receive bikes.
Many students, particularly boys, have voiced their dissatisfaction with the government’s decision.
However, it should be noted that schemes like Pragyan Bharti are intended to improve the education of female pupils. The increasing number of female high school dropouts is troubling.
It is therefore up for dispute whether the large discrepancies in cut-off rates for boys and girls in using these traits is correct or incorrect given the concerns.