Question Box :
A common stereotype about Muslims is that they are not interested in educating girls and therefore do not send girls to school. However, studies have now shown that poverty amongst Muslims is an important reason why Muslim girls do not attend school or leave school after a few years.
Wherever effort has been made to reach education to the poor, there the Muslim community has shown an interest in sending their girls to school. For example in the state of Kerala, the distance between the school and the home is not much. There is a good government bus service that helps teachers reach schools in rural areas and over sixty percent of the teachers are women. These factors have helped children from poorer families, including Muslim girls, attend school in much larger numbers.
In other states, where such efforts have not been made children from poorer families whether Muslim, tribal, or so-called lower castes find it difficult to attend school. Therefore, poverty not religion is the cause for the non-attendance of Muslim girls in school.
Study the above extract and answer the questions given below :
1. What is a common stereotype about Muslims?
2. What reason has been given in recent studies for not sending Muslim girls to schools?
3. Why do Muslim girls study in schools in Kerala along with other girls?
4. What is the real cause of Muslim girls not going to school?