Lack of proper transport facilities, absence of toilets in schools, besides compulsion to share household chore and parental attitude contribute significantly toward the girls pulling out of the education, according to the Human Resource Development ministry sources.

Other factors are the distance from the school and socio-economic reasons such as need to supplement household income, looking after siblings and early marriage.

The figures compiled in 'Selected Educational Statistics' for the year 2004-2005 by the ministry show that the drop out rate for the girls for Class-I to Class-V was 25 per cent - several notches below the boys who dropped out at the rate of 31.37 per cent.

But as they go up, more girls pulled out at the rate of 50.76 per cent compared to boys who dropped at the rate of 50.10 per cent, between Class-I and Class-VIII.

It becomes distinctly higher further up with girls dropping out at rate of 63.88 per cent and boys at 60.41 per cent between Class-I and Class X.

The sources said that to check this trend the scholarship scheme has been introduced by the Central Board of Secondary Education which provides for a scholarship of Rs 500 per month for studying in Class-XI and XII for a girl who scores more than 60 per cent in Class-X and is the only child of her parents.