Why girls’ education is important
Aneek AhmadOne of the main goals of the UN millennium development plans
is to end the gender disparity in
education by 2015. However, looking at the gender gaps in enrolment, access, retention and achievement, the goal of gender parity appears to be a distant dream. Statistics reveal that globally, of the out-of-school children, about 54 per cent are girls. Even 50 years after the affirmation of the universal right to primary education, two-thirds of the more than 13 core children who are out of primary education, are girls. If this is the scenario, then, how can women exercise their rights and meet their expectations? Without education, how can women have adequate livelihood? How can a woman empower herself and have a fair chance in the modern economy? In India, the educational efforts have been quite meaningful. Data from census 2001 shows improvement in literacy rates. The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act 2002 guarantees every child between the age of 6-14 years and education up to the elementary stage as a fundamental right. This amendment has put a greater responsibility on the Centre and states to ensure that no citizen is left uneducated. Due consideration is being provided towards creating adequate infrastructure through social and economic investments and to ensure gender parity in elementary education. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan of the government is a very comprehensive programmed for ensuring access, enrolment, retention and social equity across all socio-economic groups. It aims at improving the performance of the school system through a community-owned approach and ensuring quality elementary education to all children in the age group of 6-14 years by 2010. Bridging gender and social gaps with regard to access, enrolment and retention is high on its agenda. Unfortunately, in spite of all the efforts of the government, there still remains much to be done to achieve the goals of universal education and actualizing gender parity in schools. It is because the barriers in girls' education outweigh the efforts being made to overcome them. The prejudices and biases against the girl child are so deep-rooted and complex that it is difficult for any government to overcome them unless the people work hand in hand. Poverty, misconceptions, negative attitudes of
parents, etc., are the main reasons that accentuate the problems of the girl child. Social evils like bride price and dowry system are some of the major impediments. There are parents who still believe that with higher education of girls, the bride price and expanses on dowry also go up. Such parents fail to take into account that the education, sometimes, lowers the dowry for a girl because the husband's family views education of their bride as an asset. Many parents are reluctant even to allow their daughter to travel to schools, be taught by male teachers and have close contact with boys. Education is development, and it is the only key to ensure women's equal participation in every sphere of the development process. It creates choices and opportunities, leading to their empowerment. It is the only way to make our life happier and healthier. Education of women is more critical because they comprise half of our population. Evidence suggests that an educated woman is likely to marry at a later stage and have fewer children. Research has shown that in India, the Infant Mortality Rate of babies whose mothers have received primary education is half that of the children whose mothers were illiterate. It is a well-documented fact that educating girls has a variety of benefits to a society. Education increases the productivity of a woman, as educated women are more likely to work in wage employments and earn higher wages. Women's increased access to income opportunities is beneficial to the children, family and community at large. Education of girls is also a contributory factor towards their increased political participatas they are better informed about their rights and are more likely to participate and know about political systems andpolitical parties. Thus, the mandate is clear. We need to sensitize people about the benefits of girl’s education and try to change the prevailing social stereotypes, which are adverse to the development of a girl child. The goals of universalizing the girl’s education can be achieved by a combination of policy alternatives and interventions at the family, community and national levels.