Can free bikes help girls Stay in School?

PaperSeed is one of many nonprofits around the world that recognize the importance of promoting female education. So for us, it’s always fascinating to hear about innovative, out-of-the-box ways that others are using to keep girls in school.

Enter the IGC (International Growth Center), a nonprofit group active throughout Africa and Asia, and two college professors, UC San Diego’s Karthik Muralidharan,  and the University of Connecticut’s Nishith Prakash.

Sponsored by the IGC, the two recently conducted a study of female education rates in the Indian state of Bihar, where the government gives money to girls over the age of 14  to purchase a bike. Preliminary results show the program has lowered the gap in girls’ and boys’ school attendance by 20%-25%.

For more, check out this short YouTube documentary on Bihar’s unique bicycle program. 

What do you think of the study’s results? Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter, or blog!

(Written by social media intern Willa Murphy)