Status of Women’s Education in India

Education is a deliberate endeavour with predetermined objectives, including

the dissemination of knowledge or the growth of character and abilities. The
development of understanding, reason, compassion, and honesty may be
among these goals. The transmission of cultural legacies to next generations
was the fundamental aim of education.
Educated women has the abilities, know-how, and self-assurance to be
responsible employees, moms, and voters. Women who have received
education have better lives; they are healthier, receive more assistance,
encounter less discrimination, have more control over their reproductive and
productive lives, and have more options.
With education, women are more prepared to take on leadership
responsibilities within their organizations and the nation. Women's education is
a must for the progress of the country and cannot be chosen.
Women's education is the most effective way to change society's perspective.
Women who have more education have a higher standing in the home and
experience less inequality.
Two indicators of the general growth of a society are the level of education
achieved and the literacy rate. Women's education includes access to
education and gender equality. Women's education is essential to the fight
against poverty.
For the nation to thrive properly socially and economically, women's education
is vital. Men and women function similarly to two wheels in society and are like
two sides of a coin. Since both are crucial to the nation's growth and
development, they must have equal access to education. Social growth is
impossible if one of them collapses.
In addition to being regarded as one of the greatest democracies in the world,
India's GDP grew faster than China's during the October–December 2018 fiscal
quarter; this accomplishment was only made possible by enforcing gender
equality and universal access to education.
Ensuring female literacy and promoting women's education have been key
components of India's development. The data shows that women's education
and development have grown at an unprecedented rate over the past several
decades in India.
As more and more Indian women are empowered and educated to participate
in the country's economy, India is rapidly moving towards socioeconomic
development never seen before.
The term “female education” is used to describe a wide range of complex
issues and debates about education for women and girls. Girls’ education or
women’s education is a common name for it. One of the greatest ways to
empower an individual or an entire community is to empower women and girls
through education.
Today, basic education is no longer just a tool; it serves as the foundation for
human development and lifelong learning. Education, according to Mr. Phule, is
the practice of teaching people the difference between good and evil. A well-
educated woman has a far-reaching and far-reaching impact.
In most cultures, women are the primary caregivers of newborns. From the
moment a baby is born to early childhood, the woman’s words, facial
expression, body language and expectations all play a role in shaping the child’s
future.
Educational attainment is a cornerstone of women’s empowerment because it
empowers women to face challenges, question traditional roles and change the
way they live.
Women’s education is the only way to empower women and provide them
with the freedom to choose the life they want. “I owe all my success to my
mother,” George Washington, America’s first President, said. “She taught me
moral, intellectual, and physical education.”
Women’s education not only increases the productivity of half of human
resources but also improves the standard of living at home and abroad. There
is now a realization that sustainable human growth cannot be possible if the
second half (the women’s population) remains illiterate, marginalized, and
discriminated against. Education for women is an essential part of any roadmap
for women’s empowerment because employment enhances women’s position
in society.
Holistic view of women education in India
Indian folklore is full of stories of smart women. The history of education in
India can be traced back to the 3rd century BC when teaching was done orally
and many female scholars took part in it. With the spread of Buddhism in India,
well-known educational institutes were established, such as Nalanda,
Vikramshila, Takshila. Studies show that many women went to these higher
education institutions. Between the 5th and 13th centuries, these higher
education institutes were at their peak. In the 11th century, Muslim emperors
established higher education institutions in Delhi, Lucknow, Allahabad. India
has followed a variety of national, social, economic & political development
paths and strategies since independence.
Only 2% to 6% of women were literate in India from British Raj to
independence [7]. The first Indian woman opened a school for women in India
in 1847, named as Kalikrishna girls’ high school. The first woman’s university in
India (Shreemati nathibai, Damodar thackersey, SNDT) was established in 1916
in Pune by the Dhondho keshav karve.
The first woman educator in contemporary India (Savitribai) was the first Indian
lady to practice medicine. The first female lawyer in India was Cornelia sarabji.
The literacy rate of India in the 2011 census was 74.04% (Table 1), the literacy
rate of men was 82.14%, and the literacy rate of women was 65.46%. Table 3
shows the state wise literacy rate in India in 2011. Women’s education in India
is still in a very poor state as the literacy rate of literate females is still around
65%.
Main causes for low literacy rate of women in India
Expectations of domesticity
Girls are expected to contribute to the household much earlier than boys, with
the implicit understanding that a girl is being prepared for a position as a wife,
mother, and daughter-in-law, whereas a boy is being prepared for an
occupation.
Safety
Indians worry a great deal about the safety of young girls who go places by
themselves. Because of the dialogue that recent events have sparked, a
recurring problem has been revealed. Parents' sentiments toward a girl's
education also reveal their worry that educating her may result in her gaining
too much independence.
Infrastructure barriers
Although some rules and criteria addressing infrastructure obstacles have been
set under the Right to Education bill, it is widely accepted that girls suffer more
than boys do from the lack of infrastructure for a variety of reasons. As of 2012,
40% of all government schools lacked a functional public bathroom. This
strengthens the argument against letting girls go to school. Girls' school
attendance is particularly negatively impacted by latrine absences [8]. Almost
20% of schools (all categories combined) lacked access to a drinking water
facility in 2005; 80.56% of these schools were located in rural regions.
Discrimination against women
India and many other Asian countries have historically devalued women. Men
are perceived as being far more necessary and intellectual than women, thus
they have nearly exclusive access to resources. The boy will always have the
opportunity to attend school if the family is unable to pay for both their
daughter and son to do so. It is believed that a girl kid is a liability who should
be married off and contributes nothing to the development of society or the
economy. Traditionally, women have been viewed as their husbands' "ministers
of sensual fulfillment."
Women will have to be married off at a particular age. Because of this, parents
frequently feel that their girls will grow up to be outsiders and do not want to
invest in their education. Men are the family's proprietors and have all the
authority, while women are generally viewed as inferior to men and are in
charge of caring for the home and children. This idea holds that a woman's role
is restricted to her house and that neither education nor learning new skills are
necessary. The widespread prejudice against women has a big impact on the
parents' decision to keep their daughters at home.
Gender stereotypes and profiling have the effect of making women more likely
to participate in programs that are related to their home lives.
Socioeconomic factors
India has suffered with poverty for millennia. The poorest families' best option
—sending their children to private schools—was still unaffordable. The public
sector is currently the final haven for the most marginalized and impoverished
people. Socioeconomic problems are the root cause of poor teaching
circumstances, inadequate educational infrastructure, and a lack of social
security. In many Indian schools, there are insufficient classrooms for the
number of kids enrolled, inadequate sanitary facilities, and no access to clean
drinking water. Because of the subpar facilities, going to school is exceedingly
unappealing, and as a result, teaching is a job that is hated.

Steps that should be taken to increase literacy rate of

women
Awareness campaign
Media should be used to create awareness-raising campaigns on the value of
women's education and the advantages it may have for them, their families,
their kids, and ultimately society. Films chronicling the prosperous lives of
educated women might serve as a component of an initiative to motivate
young females in India.
A gradual approach
Women should receive their education gradually. It is unrealistic to expect
every girl in India to go to college—that would be a challenging task for most
parents. President Ramaswamy suggests that the government take a step-by-
step approach, that every girl should strive to finish at least grades K–12, and
that she should only enroll in college if she is capable and motivated to do so.
This tactic makes great sense since an unachievable objective will scare people
away rather than encourage them, and they will eventually put it on a shelf to
gather dust. However, if we tackle the large objective piece by piece, it
becomes more doable and more individuals will be motivated to finish.
More investment on K-12 education
The government must take greater action to encourage people to pursue
higher education. To encourage females to attend school, infrastructure has to
be put in place and programs like free meals, uniforms, and books need to be
improved. The government should adopt a new strategy, according to
President Ramaswamy, and give K–12 education far more priority than
postsecondary education. After all, the K–12 system serves as the cornerstone
around which the whole educational system is erected; a house cannot stand
without a solid foundation, regardless of how lovely its roof may be.
Provision of informal or non-formal education
Even for those with extensive education, the bulk of lifetime learning is still
informal, despite the fact that it is often disorganized and unsystematic [13].
Any unstructured, disorganized educational activity that occurs outside of the
formal system and provides specific learning opportunities for adult and kid
populations is known as non-formal education. When formal education is
unable to satisfy the needs of every boy and girl in school, informal and
nonformal education must step in to fill the void.

Steps taken by the government of India for enhancing

women education
 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
 National programme for education of girls at elementary level (NPEGL)
 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme (KGBV)
 Beti Bacho Beti Padho (BBBP)

Organizations promoting women’s education

 K.C. Mahindra Education Trust
 Educate girls bond
 Girls who code
  Aarti for Girls
 Pratham
 Milaan Foundation
 Vishvodaya Trust
 Sukarya
 Care
 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women online

Conclusion
Women are essential to guiding the country onto a path of progress and
prosperity. They are essential elements of a thriving humanity that are required
for the development of society. Education offers a foundation for women's
welfare, wealth, and independence. It is undeniable that the gender gap is
closing with time, yet women are still less literate than males. The mindset of
society has to change, especially that of male family members.

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