WHY FEMALE EDUCATION IS NECESSARY IN INDIA
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“The best thermometer to the progress of a nation is its treatment of its women”.
: Swami Vivekananda
‘Education is the most powerful weapon that can change the world’… Yes, education is the only means which can lift the society from sheer darkness to rays of hope. Education brings consciousness, with consciousness comes realization and with realization, one acquires the ability to judge between right and wrong. True to the famous quote by Sir Mandela, education is the most trusted and powerful weapon to fight against malignancies of all sorts. Education can break the shell and shackles of our living conditions. It is thus the catalyst, whose aid in societal reactions, can bring development, prosperity and in turn can pull out families and communities , from the evil grasp of hunger to an aura of happiness forever. Therefore, for the progress of a Nation, education is pivotal and this pivot can only be achieved through ‘education of all’. Well, this pronoun of “All” brings us to the question of non-discrimination in the field of education , particularly in the field of “Female Education”. It leaves little for one to speculate the growth of a nation , without the education and development of half of the human resources that’s the women. Hence, time and again we come to this fact of why female education is of so much necessity. Though this question as to ‘why female education is necessary ‘ is itself contradictory to the purpose of education, as the latter aims for the growth of all. But unfortunately, we weren’t being able to materialize this “all inclusive” vision of education yet and hence the harsh realities of gender disparity in education brings us to the necessity of explaining the same again and again.
According to a United Nations report, education for women is the single most effective way to improve the lives and health of a family and a society at large. The Convention on the Rights Of The Child and the Convention on the Elimination Of Discrimination against Women, establish Girl’s education as a basic human right. Our Motherland, the cradle of human civilization has a long history to pave the way for women education. How can we forget the names of great women sages and seers of Vedic Period : Gargi, Maitrayee, Apala, Lopamudra, Khana…to name just a few. In the Vedic period women education was prevalent.. However it gradually went onto decline in the later Vedic period of Ancient India. The Medieval period didn’t witness much progress in women education and that women were mostly restricted to their household work and the ‘Purdah’ system hindered their progress all the more.
FEMALE EDUCATION IN BRITISH INDIA
The British India witnessed a revival 0f the interest in women’s education. With various female nationalists actively taking part in the freedom movement and various socio-religious movements fuelling across the Nation, there was a rising consciousness for female education in India . Raja Rammohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and other great men voiced emphatically for the Women education in India. However, it was the efforts of our Great “Lion” Pandit Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, who introduced Female Education in India. Also, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Periyar and Ambedkar took various initiatives for patronizing women education in India.
FEMALE EDUCATION IN MODERN INDIA : THE CURRENT SCENARIO
Women education in India plays a very important role in the overall development of the country. It not only helps in the development of half of the human resources, but in improving the quality of life at home and outside (Suguna 2011) However, still many years after independence, the female literacy rate is yet lower than the male literacy rate and hasn’t achieved the desired results. The patriarchal society in India , tethered with poverty, illiteracy, socio-religious norms, geographical factors, health issues and social taboos and rigid obsolete norms have hindered for a smooth facilitation of education of a girl child . Gender stereotyping and rigid outdated mentalities and thought processes are the major obstacles for the growth of female literacy in India. While some measures are achieved in providing elementary education to girl child, higher education and eventually women working in top notch places are very meager. And the problem not only lies with the rural areas…Unfortunately, the glaring evils of gender inequalities are hovering all around the society and even in most polished areas! It’s wreckfully saddening that even to these days, girl child has been seen as a burden and the general idea lurks is to get them married or even if not married, why to spend money for their education, as they are still considered inferior and second -class citizens. A decade has passed since the Right To Education….However, it hasn’t achieved much progress in reducing number of female droppers for secondary education and barring household or agricultural work for girls aged between 15-18 years, the former of which are responsible for the latter’s way of getting secondary education. In a report for the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had said around 40 percent of 15-18 aged girls were out of school and 65 percent of them were engaged in household work. Alas, if this be the scenario in some cases, how will our Nation progress? How will she raise her head when half of her population lurks under the darkness of illiteracy? It’s highly important that we understand the importance of Female Education in India now for all of us to thrive successfully…
REASONS FOR IMPORTANCE OF FEMALE EDUCATION IN INDIA
Elucidating the necessity of female education in India , we come to the manifold reasons :
REDUCING GENDER DISPARITIES AND PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY
Education of the Women is the only panacea for this above mentioned issue. The low literacy rate of women is infact responsible for the age old ideas of women’s role being restricted to only “child bearer and child rearer“. Hence, proper education of women will reduce the gender gap and it gives the women the ability to think rationally and logically, to protest against oppression and even protecting others of the same.
FOSTERS WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
“If you educate a man, you educate an individual, however if you educate a woman, you educate a whole family. Women empowered means Mother India empowered” .(Nehru) … Yes this holds true to the utmost…Educating a woman leads to the education and enrichment of the entire family. Moreover Women empowerment is pivotal to the growth of any society and empowerment cab only foster through education. It not only gives the women a sense of financial independence, thereby promoting her overall freedom and liberty to take her own decisions, but also aids in the economic development of the country. More women in the formal job sectors imply more revenue and social capital for the country. It also aids in the participation of women in political, cultural and other events, thereby fostering us all economically and morally.
EDUCATION MAKES WOMEN INDEPENDENT AND BREEDS CONFIDENCE IN THEM
Education makes one independent. And if a woman is educated, she can earn for herself and doesn’t have to necessarily depend on anyone to fulfil her basic necessities. Education also breeds Confidence in our minds, in the sense that it helps one to realize one’s dignity and brings on hope. Therefore education of women will help them realize their own worth, thereby narrowing down the evils of humiliation and oppression towards them , both at the personal as well as in the professional places .
REDUCING CHILD MARRIAGE, INFANTICIDE, MORTALITY RATIOS
Women education and empowerment will lead to increase in the age of marriage for women, thereby lowering down infanticide and child mortality ratios. Education will make them aware of healthy family planning and the advantages of a small and planned family. They will then tend to have fewer healthy children who will survive for long.
THE BEST TEACHER AND GUIDE OF A CHILD
It’s said that, “the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world”…Yes, a child learns his first learning from his mother and an educated mother can better groom her children and rear them. They can ensure for the better development of their children and can mentor them throughout their lives.
ERADICATION OF SOCIAL TABOOS AND RIGID NORMS.
Only education can lead to the eradication of age old customs, specially those against the women-folk. An educated woman won’t succumb to social taboos anymore and she can intern help to increase and raise the awareness among others. Education of women will also lead to her awareness and knowledge for better healthy lifestyle and sanitation issues, thus leading to the overall development of hygiene throughout the society.
These are just a few of the reasons, the list is actually endless though. We can see a number of initiatives by the concerned authorities for the growth of women education, including Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, UNICEF is also working with the Indian government to provide quality education to girls. Of late, the NEW EDUCATION POLICY aims to foster women education. However, what we need to keep in mind is that the overall consciousness of the entire society is needed for promoting good quality education to women. It has to be realized among all that we need more of female doctors, engineers, politicians, administrators, C.A’s and more of women folk on the organized work sectors. Let’s raise this consciousness for a good conscience to hover around. “The education and empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all”… Let this speech of Aung San Suu Kyi be our vision and mission for our heads to held high forever in the larger platforms of this World.
