Why we still need a women’s education revolution in India

Why we still need a women’s education revolution in India

Sujay Rao Mandavilli

 

Women in ancient India are thought to have enjoyed some rights in education with women scholars such as Gargi Vachaknavi, Maitreyi, Apala, and Lopamudra making some intellectual  contributions. Female sages or poets were called Rishikas in ancient times. Some women were scholars for life (they were known as Brahmavadinis) while others studied until marriage (they were known as Sadyodvahas). During the Buddhist period, some women who were known as bhikshunis were allowed to join monasteries for education. During the Mughal period, princesses and elite women such as Gulbadan Begum, Nur Jahan, Jahan Ara, and Roshan Ara were educated, while others were not. Much changed during the Bengal renaissance. The Bengal Renaissance was a nineteenth century socio-cultural, and intellectual movement centered around Calcutta, and it was driven by noted figures such Raja Rammohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Debendranath Tagore, and Rabindranath Tagore. Many traditional practices were questioned during this period, and science and knowledge greatly emphasized along with education. Later, significant contributions to science were made by Jagadish Chandra Bose, Satyendra Nath Bose, and Meghnad Saha.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy fought for women's education and empowerment to combat the then widely prevalent evils such as Sati, child marriage, and the purdah system. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar set up many girls’ schools in the Bengal region, which encouraged women’s participation in education greatly. John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune founded the Calcutta Female School in 1849, which became the first women's college in India. Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain promoted women's education among Muslim women in Bengal, and she also established the Sakhawat Memorial Girls' High School in Kolkata in 1911. Jyothiba Phule along with his wife Savitribai Phule actively promoted women's education in India by opening the first girls' school in Pune in 1848. Soon other women such as Fatima Sheikh, Tarabai Modak, Anutai Wagh, and Pandita Ramabai joined the fray in fighting for women’s educational rights. Annie Besant advocated for women's education and also co-founded the Benares Hindu University in 1916. Durgabai Deshmukh founded the Andhra Mahila Sabha to empower women through the mechanism of education.

Women's education in post-independence India has seen remarkable growth in many parts of the country, with female literacy rising from single digit levels in 1947 to over seventy percent today. After independence, the Indian government established several committees such as the national committee on women’s education of 1958 to empower women through the medium of education. Separate schools were also sought to be set up for women in some areas. Other schemes promoted by the Indian government included the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya for rural girls from weaker sections of society and the Mahila Samakhya Program for women’s empowerment. Many of these programs were integrated into the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program, and other programs. The Mahila Samakhya Program which is also known as the education for women’s equality program was launched in 1989 based on the 1986 national policy of education, to empower rural women through the medium education. Women’s collectives or sanghas were set up by women to solve their own problems collectives, and seek out solutions. Legal, banking and digital literacy of women were also promoted by some state governments.

Despite significant improvements, gender gaps in educational attainment persist, particularly in rural areas and disadvantaged committees with traditional attitudes, and economic constraints posing significant hurdles. School dropout ratios also remain high particularly among women. Female workforce participation also remains low for the most part. While significant progress has been made in achieving near-universal enrollment at the primary level, gaps persist at a secondary level. Only a few Indian states have bridged gender gaps in education more or less completely.  Kerala, Mizoram and Tamil Nadu, have always been strong in women’s empowerment and women’s education, while Rajasthan, West Bengal and Chattisgarh have made impressive progress of late. Rajasthan’s model particularly appears to be worthy of emulation, as gender gaps in education have been bridged significantly. Bihar, on the other hand, continues to face extremely high dropout rates and lower female literacy due to socio-cultural barriers and stigmas such as early marriage. However, some progress has been made by Bihar, particularly since 2011. Schemes such as the Indira Mahila Shakti scheme have sought to boost digital literacy skills of women among other things. Andhra Pradesh, despite its strengths in other fields, continues to be weak in women’s education, particularly in rural and tribal areas.

Again, we believe that the time has come for the central government to launch a new flagship program to consolidate on previous gains, and close the gaps further down to negligible levels. State wise and district wise assessments required, and states must lead programs and missions with inputs and coordination from the central government. Indian states must learn from each other, and the central government must coordinate the show and focus on backward areas. The NITI Aayog can play a critical role here.