THE United Nations World Food Program said that its food-for-education project in Rakhine State had resulted in a significant rise in school enrolments among girls.

The program was introduced in 1996 to reduce a gender gap in education in the area, where parents were less likely to send their daughters to school because of cultural beliefs.

Primary school enrolment rates for girls had risen from 32 per cent the year the program was introduced to 70 per cent in the 2003-2004 academic year, said WFP country director Mr Bhim Udas.

He said the program gave parents an incentive to send their daughters to school by providing them with 15 kilograms of rice a month to take home as long as they had an attendance rate of 80 per cent.

The program in Butheedaung, Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships started with 271 primary schools and expanded to 345 schools in 2002-2003, said a statement issued by the WFP.

It said that when the program was introduced, there were 12,767 girls and 26,928 boys enrolled at the 271 schools. By 2000-2001, the number of girls enrolled at schools under the program exceeded that of boys, it said.

During the 2003-2004 academic year, there were 61,456 girls enrolled at the 345 schools, compared with 25,856 boys, the statement said.

Mr Udas said the success of the program had resulted in the WFP changing its approach to focus on both boys and girls to improve the net enrolment rate.

This had resulted in a gender balance in the current school year, with 43,205 girls and 43,058 boys enrolled at the 340 schools for which figures were available.

The WFP has also expanded food-for-education programs at primary schools in its project areas in Shan State and Magwe Division.

In Shan State, the program benefits 44,458 students at 486 schools in Lashio township, 14,910 students at 164 schools in Laukkai township and 16,320 students at 251 schools in Pangkam township. In Magwe Division it benefits 29,210 students from 254 schools.