Evidence of Sustainable Norm Change

Part 1: Data Collected by MVF Field Mobilisers

There is credible and mounting evidence from the field that adolescent girls in the programme areas are now able to exercise agency and demand their rights; parents have stopped forcing girls into early marriage and allow them to follow their aspiration for getting a secondary education; the functionaries of the system – school teachers, police officials, anganwadi workers - are defending the rights of girls; even traditionally conservative bodies like caste panchayats and priests are coming round to the idea of arguing against early marriage and refusing to solemnise marriages of minors.

The girls get the strength to stand up for their rights when they know that they have persons in the community, among members of Gram Panchayats, women’s groups and teachers who show concern for them and will support them. In turn, it is the strength and firm resolve of the girls that gives an impetus to the community and members of various forums to go the extra mile in favour of adolescent girls. The girls’ struggle also strengthens the response of public institutions wherein the functionaries of the State find themselves compelled to address urgent and concrete challenges posed by the girls. They can no longer hide behind convenient arguments about structural constraints, tradition, culture, or the poverty of the parents but are obligated to utilise the policies and legal instruments at their disposal to protect girls’ rights in a rights-based perspective; there is now an imperative to respond in real time. Children’s participation and exercise of agency thus becomes the indispensable pivot in bringing about a transformation in their own lives and in building new social norms in the community.

Data collected by MVF mobilisers for purposes of tracking and responding to the needs of every girl in the programme provides quantitative evidence of successful norm change. MVF data shows that when it started its interventions with adolescent girls in 2015, there were 355 girls who completed class 10 in the four Mandals included in the project (see Table 1). By 2022 this number had increased to 513 – a distinct rise even after taking into account a nominal rate of increase of local population. Significantly, in Atmakur and Nuthankal Mandals more girls were completing class 10 than boys by 2022.

The fact of being enrolled in class 10 does not automatically mean that all of them will take the Class 10 Board examination. The bureaucratic processes involved can be intimidating and hostile, pushing them out of school as there are innumerable challenges that a poor, marginalised, first-generation learner has to overcome to register for this exam. The first step for the mobilizers is to get the list of names of all girls who are enrolled in class 10 and to ensure that all of them are prepared to take the Board examination. A final tracking is done to make sure that they apply for the hall ticket as many need support to fill in the application form, get the school to forward it to the Board and more importantly to pay the examination fees. The examination fee for the Board is so high that many children find it unaffordable. Some may have to borrow the money and for those who are just not able to raise the funds, a special letter is sent to the education Commissioner requesting a fee waiver. The next step is to check if the names of the girls and their fathers are correctly spelt in the hall ticket. Some girls may need help for transportation to reach the examination center. The final step is to check the results of the class 10 Board examination and give confidence to those girls who have failed in one subject or more to re-take the examination. Clearing the class 10 Board examination is the gateway for moving to the next stage of education.

Table -1 Class 10 Completion of Board Examination 2015 to 2022

Years	2015			2019			2022
Mandals	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total
Shankarpalli	100	94	194	80	94	174	133	120	233
Vikarabad	97	88	185	127	100	227	197	158	355
Athmakur	73	69	142	75	71	147	80	87	167
Nuthankal	121	104	225	117	108	225	142	148	290
Total	391	355	746	399	373	773	552	513	1045

For those who have passed, the mobilizers follow up to enable them in their pursuit of secondary education. The same effort is put into following up with girls at the secondary level. MVF’s efforts in tracking girls, motivating them to continue their higher education, and facilitating their admission into colleges resulted in 533 girls going on to undergraduate studies in 2022, while only 67 girls had done so in 2015 (see Table 2). Significantly, from only 6 girls admitted into professional courses like engineering, pharmacy, and teacher training in 2015, by the year 2022 this number had gone up to 42 girls (see Table 3). These statistics point forcefully to dramatic improvements.

Table-2-Admission into Undergraduate Courses

Years	2015			2019			2022
Mandals	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total
Shankarpalli	17	21	38	76	68	144	92	102	194
Vikarabad	10	3	13	29	55	84	124	120	244
Athmakur	27	18	45	47	41	88	141	119	260
Nuthankal	23	25	48	75	73	148	304	212	516
Total	77	67	144	227	237	464	661	553	1214

Table-3-Admission to Professional Courses (Engineering, BPharm, B.Ed)

Years	2015			2019			2022
Mandals	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total
Shankarpalli	1	4	5	10	5	15	16	17	34
Vikarabad	0	0	0	0	1	1	7	10	17
Athmakur	3	1	3	5	6	11	15	5	20
Nuthankal	3	1	4	0	1	1	20	10	30
Total	7	6	12	15	13	28	58	42	101

For MVF mobilisers, these are not just statistics to arrive at measurement of success, but a basis for planning for each adolescent girl. These are real, dynamic data which facilitate their efforts of reaching out to every girl and ensuring that they complete their secondary education and move on to the next level. They are a reflection of real changes in the life of girls and their families.  There is a steady, perceptible change in the manner in which girls have moved ahead with their aspirations for education. This is only possible because every school, the entire community, and the parents have partnered in, and are committed to, this process of changing social norms towards gender equality.