Education, inequalities and Social justice:
• Concept of Educational Equity
• Opportunities, Education and Inequalities:
• Caste, class, tribe, gender, rural-urban, education and social
• mobility
• Education for Equality-Disparities: Excerpts from Education Policy
• Education for women’s equality:
• Education of Scheduled Castes:
• Education of Scheduled Tribes:
• Other Educationally Backward Classes and Areas:
• Education and Social Mobility:
• Barriers to education and mobility:
• Women and Education:
• Education: A Social Right and a Development Essential
• Low educational status of women: Reasons
• Government of India schemes to encourage women’s education:
• Equality of Educational Opportunities
• Need for equalization of educational opportunities
• Role of education in equal opportunities
• Reasons for educational disparities
• Suggestions to remove inequality in educational opportunity in India
inequality in education
1. Inequality in education is one of the most dangerous social problems in contemporary times. Due to the plight and deteriorating quality of government schools, more and more parents are willing to send their children to private schools despite exorbitant tuition fees.
2. These schools generally generate better interest in learning due to smaller class sizes, higher academic standards, better teacher-student interaction and more discipline.
3. Despite various special positive programs by the government, a large section of SC and ST students have been unable to break out of the clutches of traditional occupation and the vicious cycle of poverty.
4. The socio-economic status of children not only determines their access to quality schools, but even when they are in the same schools, the cultural resources they bring to these schools greatly influence their performance. Thus, inequality perpetuates and even increases the existing social stratification system.
5. Social stratification based on caste, ethnicity and religion in India is also reflected in educational achievement with a large body of literature documenting the disparities. These disparities have been a cause of concern for both the government and civil society.
6. The government has put in place strong, affirmative action policies to redress many historical injustices.
a. The role of education in promoting social mobility is one of the central issues in contemporary sociological and political debate. In modern societies, education has become an increasingly important factor in determining what jobs people enter and in determining their social class status.
b. It is now widely believed that the provision of equality of education has become an absolute necessity to improve one’s social status. In modern society, it is possible to acquire competence and competence only through education.
c. Education plays an important role in leading individuals towards upward social mobility.
7. Due to the plight and deteriorating quality of government schools, more and more parents are willing to send their children to private schools despite exorbitant tuition fees. These schools generally generate better interest in learning due to smaller class sizes, higher academic standards, better teacher-student interaction and more discipline.
8. Family income is an important factor affecting access to education. Government schools in tribal and remote areas of India are almost non-functional, making it difficult for students from SC and ST communities and poor families to have equal access to quality education. This results in a lower literacy rate among SCs and STs than the national average.
9. Despite various special positive programs by the government, a large section of SC and ST students have been unable to break out of the clutches of traditional occupations and the vicious cycle of poverty.
10. Not only does the socio-economic status of children determine their access to quality schools, but even when they are in the same schools, the cultural resources they bring to these schools greatly influence their performance. Thus, inequality perpetuates and even increases the existing social stratification system.
11. Such stark inequalities in education figure prominently in the writings of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural production. He makes effective use of the term ‘cultural capital’, which refers to knowledge, skills, education and any advantage a person has that gives him a higher status.
12. In society. Parents provide children with the cultural capital, attitudes and knowledge that make the educational system a comfortable and familiar place in which they can succeed. Cultural reproduction highlights how prevalent disadvantages and inequalities are transmitted from one generation to the next.
13. This is exclusively due to the educational system. Capitalist societies depend on a stratified social system, where the working class receives education adapted to manual labor, and removing such inequalities would break down the system. Thus, schools in capitalist societies are always stratified.
The disparity in school performance of children from different social classes yields
‘Success at school’ is largely due to the cultural capital they bring to school, not the effects of their natural abilities
because of. Bourdieu’s work focused on how social classes, especially the ruling and intellectual classes, reproduced themselves even under the pretense that society promoted social mobility, particularly through education. According to him, the socio-cultural capital accumulated in the ranks of the upper classes gets multiplied through the education system, which instead of removing the differences, increases the inequalities of the stratified social system.
Similarly, Paulo Freire (1970), a Brazilian educator, talks about the way wealth differences stratify children through access to quality education and school achievement. He clearly mentions that the schools provide ‘pedagogy of the oppressed’. The oppressed is a social class unspecified by race, gender, ethnicity, language and culture. His work has inspired three decades of global dialogue on educational philosophy. Similarly, Ivan Illich, ‘Deschooling Society’ (1971) argues that students, especially those who are poor, are schooled by the educational system to confuse process and substance. disciple is like
‘Schoolboy’ for confusing teaching with learning, grades achy
Phenomenon with education, a diploma with merit, and fluency with the ability to say something new. Their imagination is ‘educated’ to accept service rather than value. Institutionalized system of education leads to physical pollution, social polarization and psychological impotence. According to Ilitch, “It should be clear that even with schools of similar quality, a poor child is rarely equal to a rich one. Even if they go to the same schools and start at the same age, So poor children lack most of the educational opportunities that are incidentally available to a middle-class child. These advantages range from conversation and books at home to vacation trips and more.
sense of self, and apply to the child who enjoys them, both in and out of school for advancement or learning. The poor need money to enable them to learn, not to be certified as cures for their perceived disproportionate deficiencies.
In a technologically advanced nation, education has become an important criterion of social stratification. In such a society, occupation is the determinant of income. It has also been found that in these societies recruitment to various occupations is determined by the education level of the individuals. Also status gradation is defined by vocational and academic levels of education. In sum, given the close relationship between education and occupation, and the extent to which occupation is an important, if not critical, measure of income and social status, education acquires importance as a determinant of social placement and social stratification. It is worth noting that the most prestigious jobs in industrial societies are not only those that offer the highest incomes but also those that require the longest education. The more education people have, the more likely they are to get good jobs and enjoy higher incomes.
It is often found that education and social stratification are intricately related. Although education acts as a generator of upward mobility, it often also acts as a deterrent for those who cannot afford or have access to education. In many countries, facilities for higher education are limited for professions such as medicine, astronomy, management, etc., while there are many aspiring for the same. Since the financial cost to enroll in such subjects is very high, many students are deprived and few students from the elite sections of the society get admission in such institutions. Hence, this class is the privileged section of the society which occupies the top position of the social ladder. Thus, education is forced to act as an agency of status retention, to act as an agency of stratification rather than to facilitate upward mobility. Such social stratification affects the low level of education especially in remote areas and villages. In many countries, the dropout rate among students is mainly found in the lower strata of the society.
India has made progress in increasing enrollment and school completion over the past decades. Enrollment in primary schools has increased from 19.2 million in 1950–51 to 113.6 million in 2001. Gross primary school enrollment is close to 100%. The overall enrollment of children at all stages of education in India has improved over the years. Such an increase in school participation
It is also associated with a significant jump in the literacy rate which increased from 18% in 1951 to 65% in 2001. On the one hand, the increase in enrollment has taken place in the backdrop of the introduction of various centrally sponsored educational interventions. Examples of such schemes include Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Non-Formal Education Program (1979–90), Operation Blackboard for Small Rural Schools (1986), Total Literacy Campaign (1988), District Primary School Education Program (1994–2002) ) Are included. ) and more recently Mid Day Meal Schemes. Between 1950 and 1990, the number of schools more than tripled,
Which has left behind the growth of the school age population. School participation may have responded to these supply-side changes.
Social stratification based on caste, ethnicity and religion in India is also reflected in educational achievement, with a large amount of literature documenting the disparities. These disparities have been a cause of concern for both the government and civil society. The government has put in place strong, affirmative action policies to redress many historical injustices. Some of these have received strong public support, but others, particularly with regard to reservation of seats in colleges and universities; This has led to resentment and protests from the more privileged sections of the society. Nonetheless, more than 60 years after policies aimed at redressing this imbalance, and some decline in educational disparities, the gap is still wide.
India is particularly noteworthy because the traditional social inequalities based on notions of pollution and impurity that govern caste relations are increasingly being transformed into class inequalities through various educational attainments. While many studies describe various aspects of social distance and discrimination between different castes in different walks of life, economic inequalities are perhaps the most pernicious, resulting in a cycle of inequality across generations. While educational disparities are not the sole determinants of economic status, they play a significant role in generating disparities in earnings. Caste-based differences in education, income and other aspects of well-being have long been recognized. In recent years, similar religion-based imbalances have also been observed, where Muslims are particularly vulnerable compared to other religious groups such as Jains, Parsis, Hindus, etc.
Public policies attempt to address these inequalities in two ways:
(a) by providing scholarships and other incentives to reduce the financial strain on the family and increase motivation to continue education; And
(b) By providing preferential admission in colleges and advanced professional programs through reservation or quota. While there have been some attempts to set up special schools or hostels for children from disadvantaged communities, these have been relatively limited in scope. Policy interventions, especially in the case of highly controversial reservations or quotas in college admissions, come too late in the educational path of students.
Drawing on data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) conducted in 2004-05 by researchers from the University of Maryland and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), the data shows the school/college dropout rate at a given education level. For boys from different social backgrounds. These data show that the largest gap between upper caste Hindus and disadvantaged groups such as Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims appears primarily at school entry and before the completion of class X. The difference narrows on moving up to the next level – the completion of class X. Most minority students who are able to overcome early hurdles have developed skills and may have greater intelligence, grit, and motivation than their more privileged peers, increasing their chances of success and reducing disparities in educational outcomes. It happens. They may also belong to more privileged sections of Dalit, Adivasi, Other Backward Classes (OBC) or Muslim communities and may be less likely to be subject to the prejudices and disadvantages faced by their less-privileged brothers and sisters Is. These observations are consistent with the finding of the international literature on comparative education, which also notes greater disparities in education in early childhood. Unfortunately public policies, when it comes to addressing educational inequities, tend to focus more on higher education rather than elementary education, possibly because they are easier to address.
The picture of educational inequalities in India is not consistently grim. There has been a significant decline in the basic literacy rate. Data on Basic Literacy Comes Naturally
Asking individuals or their family members if they can read and write a sentence. In this, like the Census of India and other surveys, the IHDS documents convergence among different social groups. Higher education groups, upper caste Hindus and smaller religious groups like Christians, Sikhs and Jains have reached near 100 percent literacy rate. More detailed studies also show that the gap is narrowing in some areas. Analysis of National Sample Survey data between 1983 and 2000 states:
[These results suggest that] holding other factors [household income, place of residence, and household size] at their mean values, for upper-caste Hindu and other [Sikh, Jain, and Christian] males, no time in school The probability of enrollment increased from .715 in 1983 to .858 in 1999–2000, an increase of about 14 percentage points. Over the same period, Dalit men’s chances of enrollment increased by 20 percentage points for their chances of enrollment, and for tribal men by 21 percentage points. It has helped reduce disparities between upper caste Hindus and Dalits/Adivasis… Among women, preference for upper caste Hindus
The same advantage in MIK enrollment is … 25 percentage points, compared to 33 percentage points for Dalits and 35 percentage points for Adivasis.
However, despite this limited success, inequalities in children’s educational experiences between social groups persist. shows difference in data
The experiences of children aged 6 to 14 from different social groups documented by It is important to note that these data refer to the period before the Right to Education (RTE) Act came into force and some parameters such as repeating or failing a class may be less relevant now. Furthermore, the performance of Dalit, Adivasi and Muslim children is far worse than that of upper caste Hindus and other religious groups on all the mentioned indicators, with OBCs falling somewhere in the middle. The disadvantage of Muslims is particularly noticeable because their economic status is often on par with that of OBCs, but when it comes to education they lag far behind OBCs and closer to Dalits and Adivasis.
Implications of Public Policy:
It is well recognized by demographers that the greatest improvements in life expectancy can be achieved by focusing on reducing infant mortality rather than reducing mortality in older age groups. Saving a child’s life adds about 70 years to his or her life, saving a 60-year-old’s life may only add 15 more. Similarly, reducing educational inequality at the primary education level can have long-lasting effects and be the most profitable investment a society can make. However, Indian public policies are heavily focused on reducing disparities in college education, possibly because it is difficult to identify and implement interventions at an early age. However, for substantial reduction in educational inequality, we must focus on primary education. To do this, four types of activities are required:
Ensuring that educational policies do not inadvertently exacerbate pre-existing inequities: It is important to ensure that RTE is implemented in a way that minimizes dependence on parental input or resources and supports schools in providing education. Increase in role In systems where a heavy reliance is placed on homework and/or private tutoring, children whose parents are unable to provide the necessary supervision are likely to be left behind. Some RTE provisions can have such unintended effects. First, RTE requires that newly enrolled children be placed in classes appropriate for their age, regardless of their skill level. Second, children cannot be placed in classes I-VIII. This puts a heavy burden on the teacher. When combined with the fact that children who start school late are often from Dalit, Adivasi or Muslim backgrounds, this may compound the skill development that starts later than their peers . Several studies have suggested that overambitious curricula without concomitant support from teachers lead to low levels of growth in learning outcomes and that inappropriate placement is likely to place a high burden on teachers. One way to address this challenge may be remedial training before or after school hours.
Special programs for children from disadvantaged groups:
Research shows that children often lose ground during the school holidays, especially if they come from families where reading materials are not available. Organizing special programs during summer vacations and other holidays for children who are at risk of falling behind or need remedial classes can help alleviate some of these problems. Rayat School is an interesting program in Maharashtra which has sub-schools attached to the normal school for children
Missed out or fell behind. Additionally, programs designed to keep girls in school, including cash payments to parents when they complete grade 12, could be extended to Dalit, tribal and Muslim children.
To identify the specific problems faced by disadvantaged children in school:
A number of studies are underway to identify the specific causes of low learning of disadvantaged children in school. Recent studies have shown that:
(i) teachers are indifferent to teaching these children and checking their class/homework;
(ii) in case of shortage and otherwise also these children do not get free books and uniform like other children;
(iii) other children in the class tease them and discourage them from going to school and teachers do not intervene most of the time; And
(iv) These children are often made to sit separately in the class, get water from a separate vessel or play in a separate place.
Such discriminatory and exclusionary practices are highly discouraging and discouraging to children and hence to identify and train teachers and staff to be not only more sensitive but also proactive to pay special attention to children from these groups need to.
Better monitoring of existing programs:
Many existing programs (such as the mid-day meal scheme) have failed to deliver the intended benefits and services. Meal delivery in separate utensils or with separate seating arrangements
ound to be discriminatory. Enhancing the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
A focus on Dalit, Adivasi or Muslim issues in monitoring the program can ensure that benefits are fairly distributed while raising the level of awareness in the community about its educational needs.
Research on school performance and teaching techniques:
Little attention has been paid to the classroom processes that put some students at a disadvantage, or to the effective teaching techniques that can narrow the gap. For example, we know very little about whether schools only for children from minority communities can solve
Educational inequality. Many innovative programs already exist. For example, schools have been set up by Navasarjan in Gujarat with a specially designed curriculum for Dalit children. Evaluating these curricula and monitoring outcomes can help inform major educational reforms.
The evidence suggests that there are a set of factors that are clearly specific to children from minority communities, which unless clearly understood, specified and made part of the educational reform process, this new initiative is likely to put children from these groups at risk. less effective in imparting education and bridging education. And finally, the income gap. Moreover, the timing and level/standard at which these specific interventions are to be made is also important and needs to be made a part of education reforms.
Education for Equality-Disparities: Excerpts from Education Policy
The new policy will lay special emphasis on removing disparities and equalizing educational opportunity keeping in view the specific needs of those who have been denied equality so far.
Education for Women’s Equality:
Education will be used as an agent of fundamental change in the status of women. There will be a deliberate edge in favor of women to neutralize the accumulated distortions of the past. The national education system will play a positive, interventionist role in the empowerment of women. It will promote the development of new values through redesigned curriculum, textbooks, training and orientation of teachers, decision-makers and administrators, and active participation of educational institutions. It would be an act of trust and social engineering. Women’s studies will be promoted as a part of various courses and educational institutions will be encouraged to take up active programs for the development of women. Removal of illiteracy among women and removal of barriers hindering their access and retention in primary education will be accorded topmost priority through provision of special support services, setting time targets and effective monitoring. Special emphasis will be laid on the participation of women in professional, technical and vocational education at various levels. A policy of non-discrimination will be strictly followed to eliminate gender stereotyping in business and professional sectors
To promote participation of women in vocational courses and non-traditional occupations as well as in existing and emerging technologies.
Education of Scheduled Castes:
The central focus in the educational development of Scheduled Castes is equality with the non-Scheduled Caste population at all levels and levels of education, in all sectors and across all four dimensions—rural male, rural female, urban male and urban female. Measures considered for this purpose include:
I. encouragement to poor families to send their children to school regularly till they reach the age of 14;
Second. Pre-matric scholarship scheme for children of families engaged in occupations like scavenging, skinning and tanning will be implemented from class 1 onwards. All children of such families, regardless of income, will be covered by the scheme and time-bound programs will be targeted at them;
Third. Continuous micro-planning and verification to ensure that enrolment, retention and successful completion of courses by SC students is not compromised at any stage, and introduction of remedial courses to improve their prospects for further education and employment provision.
iv. recruitment of scheduled caste teachers;
v. provision of facilities for SC students in student hostels at district headquarters as per a phased programme;
vi. School buildings, kindergartens and adult education centers should be located in such a way as to facilitate full participation of the Scheduled Castes;
Seventh. Utilization of Jawahar Rozgar Yojana resources so as to provide adequate educational facilities to the Scheduled Castes; And
Eighth. Continuous innovation in finding new ways to increase participation of Scheduled Castes in the educational process.
Education of Scheduled Tribes:
The following measures will be taken immediately to bring the Scheduled Tribes at par with others:-
I. Priority will be given to open primary schools in tribal areas. Under normal, school buildings will be constructed in these areas on priority basis.
funds for education, as well as under Jawahar Rozgar
Scheme, Tribal Welfare Schemes, etc.
Second. The socio-cultural milieu of the Scheduled Tribes has its own distinctive features, which in many cases include the languages spoken by them. this course
Underlines the need to develop and prepare instructional materials in tribal languages at the initial stages, with provision for switching to the regional language.
Third. iii) Educated and promising ST youth will be encouraged and trained to take up teaching in tribal areas.
iv. Residential schools including ashram schools will be established on a large scale.
v. Incentive schemes will be made for the Scheduled Tribes keeping in mind their special needs and lifestyle. Scholarships for higher education will focus on technical, professional and para-professional courses. Special remedial courses and other programs will be provided to overcome psycho-social barriers to improve their performance in various courses.
vi. Anganwadi, non-formal and adult education centers will be opened on priority basis in Scheduled Tribe dominated areas.
Seventh. The curriculum at all levels of education will be designed to create awareness about the rich cultural identity of the tribal people as well as their immense creative talent.
Other Educationally Backward Classes and Areas:
Suitable incentives will be provided to all educationally backward sections of the society, especially in rural areas. Adequate institutional infrastructure will be provided to hilly and desert districts, remote and inaccessible areas and islands.
a) Minorities:
Some minority groups are educationally disadvantaged or backward. Greater attention will be paid to the education of these groups in the interest of equality and social justice. This would naturally include constitutional guarantees given to them to establish and administer their own educational institutions and protection of their languages and culture. Simultaneously, objectivity will be reflected in the preparation of textbooks and in all school activities and all possible measures will be taken to promote integration based on an appreciation of common national goals and ideals in line with the core curriculum.
b) Handicapped:
The objective should be to integrate the physically and mentally challenged as equal partners with the general community, prepare them for normal development and enable them to face life with courage and confidence. The following measures will be taken in this regard:
I. Wherever possible the education of children with motor disabilities and other mild disabilities shall be common with others.
Second. As far as possible, special schools with hostels will be provided at district headquarters for severely handicapped children.
Third. Proper arrangements will be made to provide vocational training to the disabled.
iv. Teachers’ training programs will be revamped, especially for teachers of primary classes, to deal with the special difficulties of children with disabilities; And
v. Voluntary effort for the education of the disabled will be encouraged in every possible way.
c) Adult Education:
Our ancient scriptures define education as education that liberates—that is, provides the means of freedom from ignorance and oppression. In the modern world, this would naturally include the ability to read and write, as these are the main means of learning. Therefore, adult education, including adult literacy, is of vital importance. The entire country has resolved to eradicate illiteracy through the National Literacy Mission, with special emphasis on total literacy campaigns through various mediums, especially in the 15-35 age group. Central and state governments, political parties and their mass organisations, mass media and educational institutions, teachers, students, youth, voluntary agencies, social worker groups and employers should strengthen their commitment to mass literacy campaigns, including literacy and functional Huh. knowledge and skills, and awareness among learners about the socio-economic reality and the potential to change it. Since the participation of participants in literacy campaigns is of utmost importance in development programs, the National Literacy Mission has been given the importance of poverty alleviation, national integration, environmental protection, adherence to small family norm, equality of women, universalization of primary education, basic health care, etc. . It will also promote the cultural creativity of the people and their active participation in the development processes. There will be a comprehensive program of post-literacy and continuing education
Provided to neo-literates and youth receiving primary education with a view to maintaining and upgrading their literacy skills and using it to improve their living and working conditions. th
These programs will include:
I. establishment of a variety of continuing education centers to enable adults to continue learning of their choice;
Second. education of workers through employers, trade unions and the government;
Third. wide promotion of books, libraries and reading rooms;
iv. the use of collective as well as group teaching media such as radio, TV and films ~;
v. formation of groups and organizations of learners; And
vi. distance learning programs
An important development issue today is the continuous upgradation of skills so as to produce manpower resources of the type and number required by the society. Therefore, special emphasis will be laid on organizing employment/self-employment oriented and need and interest based vocational and skill training programmes.
Education and Social Mobility:
The role of education in promoting social mobility is one of the central issues in contemporary sociological and political debate. In modern societies, education has become an increasingly important factor in determining what jobs people enter and in determining their social class status. This has led some scholars to believe in the advent of open and efficient societies but empirical evidence casts doubt on this. In many countries the relationship between family background (i.e. social origin) and educational opportunity is still strong: people from more privileged social classes are more likely to undertake a longer educational career and achieve a higher level of qualification than those from less privileged classes. is more likely. Having a higher educational qualification is a clear advantage when they enter the labor market. Indeed, education is seen as an important link between the social background of individuals and their subsequent class destination.
Poverty has been found to be an intervening link, and it can reinforce social inequalities and reduce social mobility. Educational institutions and their admission, selection and certification processes can play an important role in reducing or perpetuating social inequalities.
It is often assumed that lack of educational qualification restricts social mobility. People in developed countries want to get higher level of education to equip themselves to get more prestigious jobs. To do this, people seek additional years of education, even if it is not necessary for some of the jobs or occupations they are seeking. Evidence suggests that academic achievement has no consistent relationship with subsequent work performance and productivity. More important, however, is that the lack of educational qualifications restricts the social mobility of those who have been unable to obtain them for one reason or another.
Peter Blau and Otis Duncan (1967) in their study of social mobility in America found that the significant factor affecting whether a son moved to a higher social status than his father was the amount of education the son received. Higher education is a rare and valuable resource and one for which people compete fiercely.
Due to the growing awareness about the importance of higher education, a large number of people are trying to take advantage of it to enhance their social status. as a result
Barriers to education and mobility
There are many factors that hinder the mobility of individuals in a social structure, and such factors are referred to as constraints on mobility. Internal constraints can be classified as individuals’ values, aspirations and personality patterns. External constraints are the opportunity structure of the society on which the individual is affected.
1) System of Beliefs and Values: One of the primary barriers to upward mobility is a system of beliefs and values present in the society. Studies have found that lower socioeconomic groups place less emphasis on college education as necessary for progress and advancement and are less likely to allow college education for their children. Furthermore, educational opportunities for the lower classes are very limited, especially in rural areas. Thus, the prevailing value system controls their aspirations and actions. Therefore, they may lag behind the upper classes in relation.
2) Family Influence: Upward mobility is also limited due to family influences. It is found that both occupational plans and aspirations are positively associated with prestige ranking of father’s occupation. If there is a lack of initiative in the family itself, it reflects in
The child’s desire not to break out of the bonds of the family. The child develops a tendency to take up a job that the family wants in the age-old hierarchical system. The child also does not show much interest in education as the parents are not concerned with it, especially in joint families.
3) Individual personality: Traits inherent in a person’s personality structure can also contribute to mobility (or immobility). number of studies
v. shikshaarthiyon ke saas found that achievement motivation, intelligence, aspirations and values are related to mobility. The individual grows to acquire new values in life and thus shape his performance. Those who do well gradually opt for better and higher education, thus a better job prospect and eventually upward social mobility.
Various findings have shown that the strength of achievement motive is clearly related to upward mobility. It may often be the case that young people from the upper strata of society do not need strong personal motivation for mobility. They get better mentorship and a conducive environment where they are encouraged to ‘look upwards in life’ and where they are provided with wise decisions to set up their career.
Women and Education:
The importance of education has been emphasized by several international conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the program of action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, recognized that female literacy is important to empower women’s participation in decision-making in society and improve the well-being of families. In addition, the United Nations has articulated the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which include goals for better education, gender equality, and women’s empowerment. The MDGs emphasize the essential role of education in building democratic societies and building the foundation for sustainable economic development. In an increasingly open global economy, countries with high rates of illiteracy and gender gaps in educational attainment are less competitive, as foreign investors seek labor that is cheap as well as skilled. Various global trends present special challenges for women who are illiterate or have limited education. The export orientation of economies and the growing importance of small and medium-sized enterprises create opportunities for women, but
Women need proper education and training to take full advantage of these opportunities. But major challenges remain. Too many people – especially girls – are still excluded from education, and many are enrolled in school but are learning little to prepare them for 21st century job markets. In some countries, access to secondary and higher education that helps create a skilled and knowledgeable labor force remains limited; Even where access is not an issue, the quality of education provided is often low.
Education: A Social Right and a Development Essential
The importance of education has been emphasized by several international conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the program of action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, recognized that female literacy is important to empower women’s participation in decision-making in society and improve the well-being of families. In addition, the United Nations has articulated the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which include goals for better education, gender equality, and women’s empowerment. The MDGs emphasize the essential role of education in building democratic societies and building the foundation for sustainable economic development. Education contributes directly to the growth of national income by improving the productive capabilities of the labor force. A recent study of 19 developing countries, including Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia, concluded
oncluded that a country’s long-term economic growth increases at a rate of 3.7 percent each year the average level of schooling of the adult population increases. Thus, education is an important strategy to reduce poverty where poverty is not as deep as it is in other developing regions. According to the United Nations Population Fund, countries that have made social investments in health, family planning, and education have experienced slower population growth and faster economic growth than countries that have not made such investments. In an increasingly open global economy, countries with high rates of illiteracy and gender gaps in educational attainment are less competitive, as foreign investors seek labor that is cheap as well as skilled. Various global trends present special challenges for women who are illiterate or have limited education. export orientation of economies and the growing importance of small
Small and medium-sized enterprises create opportunities for women, but to take full advantage of these opportunities, women need proper education and training.
In addition, the benefits of female education for women’s empowerment and gender equality have been widely recognized:
• As female education increases, fertility, population growth, and infant and child mortality decline and family health improves
• An increase in girls’ secondary school enrollment is linked to an increase in women’s participation in the labor force and their contribution to the household
and national income
• The increased earning potential of women, in turn, has a positive impact on child nutrition.
• Children of educated mothers – especially daughters – are more likely to be enrolled in school and have higher levels of educational achievement.
• Educated women are more politically active and are better aware of their legal rights and how to exercise them
Women and Education
The importance of education has been emphasized by several international conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the program of action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, recognized that female literacy is important to empower women’s participation in decision-making in society and improve the well-being of families. In addition, the United Nations has articulated the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which include goals for better education, gender equality, and women’s empowerment. The MDGs emphasize the essential role of education in building democratic societies and building the foundation for sustainable economic development. In an increasingly open global economy, countries with high rates of illiteracy and gender gaps in educational attainment are less competitive, as foreign investors seek labor that is cheap as well as skilled. Various global trends present special challenges for women who are illiterate or have limited education. The export orientation of economies and the growing importance of small and medium-sized enterprises create opportunities for women, but
Women need proper education and training to take full advantage of these opportunities. But major challenges remain. Too many people – especially girls – are still excluded from education, and many are enrolled in school but are learning little to prepare them for 21st century job markets. In some countries, access to secondary and higher education that helps create a skilled and knowledgeable labor force remains limited; Even where access is not an issue, the quality of education provided is often low.
Education: A Social Right and a Development Essential
The importance of education has been emphasized by several international conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the program of action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, recognized that female literacy is important to empower women’s participation in decision-making in society and improve the well-being of families. In addition, the United Nations has articulated the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which include goals for better education, gender equality, and women’s empowerment. The MDGs emphasize the essential role of education in building democratic societies and building the foundation for sustainable economic development. Education contributes directly to the growth of national income by improving the productive capabilities of the labor force. A recent study of 19 developing countries, including Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia, concluded
oncluded that a country’s long-term economic growth increases at a rate of 3.7 percent each year the average level of schooling of the adult population increases. Thus, education is an important strategy to reduce poverty where poverty is not as deep as it is in other developing regions. According to the United Nations Population Fund, countries that have made social investments in health, family planning, and education have experienced slower population growth and faster economic growth than countries that have not made such investments. In an increasingly open global economy, countries with high rates of illiteracy and gender gaps in educational attainment are less competitive, as foreign investors seek labor that is cheap as well as skilled. Various global trends present special challenges for women who are illiterate or have limited education. export orientation of economies and the growing importance of small
Small and medium-sized enterprises create opportunities for women, but to take full advantage of these opportunities, women need proper education and training.
In addition, the benefits of female education for women’s empowerment and gender equality have been widely recognized:
• As female education increases, fertility, population growth, and infant and child mortality decline and family health improves
• An increase in girls’ secondary school enrollment is linked to an increase in women’s participation in the labor force and their contribution to the household
and national income
• The increased earning potential of women, in turn, has a positive impact on child nutrition.
• Children of educated mothers – especially daughters – are more likely to be enrolled in school and have higher levels of educational achievement.
• Educated women are more politically active and are better aware of their legal rights and how to exercise them
Low Educational Status of Women: Reasons
1. Neglect of women’s education due to gender inequality Women’s education has been completely neglected in India since the medieval period. The foreign rulers never took any interest in women’s education and there has been no significant improvement in the situation even after independence. Girls are often neglected in a patriarchal system as there is always priority over sons. Girls were withdrawn from education after attaining puberty due to conservative cultural values of parents and society. Due to child marriage, the education of the girl child was also reduced.
2. Imposition of domestic responsibilities on girls: Unlike boys, girls are assigned domestic responsibilities from an early age. They are expected to do household chores freeing their mothers to go outside the home for economically rewarding activities. Even girls from very poor families are made to work as ‘domestic maids’ in the homes of affluent people.
3. Lack of educational facilities (especially in villages): For a long time, education did not reach the rural areas of India. Till date, even after so many government initiatives, education in rural areas is a big challenge. the girls’ parents were
They shy away from sending their daughters to far-flung villages. The acute shortage of working female teachers in rural areas also deterred parents from sending their daughters to school in the absence of female teachers. As of now, parents of girls are unwilling to send them to co-educational schools and schools exclusively for girls are rare in rural areas.
4. Historical Factors: Women’s education has been neglected in India for centuries and therefore tradition bound people believe that women’s education does not deserve any serious consideration. Most of the mothers being illiterate themselves did not feel the need to educate their daughters. At the beginning of the 20th century i.e. in 1901, hardly 6 women out of 1000 were illiterate. According to 2001 statistics, more than 46% of women in India are illiterate. It is not easy to motivate them to take up the responsibility of educating their daughters.
Government of India schemes to encourage women education:
1. Saakshar Bharat Mission for Female Literacy: Launched in 2008 to promote adult education especially among women under which Lok Shiksha Kendras were established.
2. Sabla-Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls: It aims at providing nutrition to the growing adolescent girls by provision of food grains.
3. Right to Education: RTE considers education as a fundamental right which will provide free and compulsory education to every child in the age group of 6 to 14 years.
4. Kasturba Balika Vidyalaya: Establishment of residential upper primary schools for girls
5. National Program for Girls’ Education at Primary Level: It aims to reduce school drop-out with special focus on vulnerable girls. Groups of women are formed in the villages. These groups follow up/supervise the enrollment, attendance of girls.
6. Mahila Sangh: Mahila Manchas (Women’s Union) were established under this scheme. It provides space for rural women to meet, discuss issues, ask questions, make informed choices. It has been implemented in ten states.
7. National Secondary Education Campaign: Infrastructure for girls hostel for secondary education
8. Dhanalakshmi Yojana: Conditional wealth transfer scheme for girl child following 3
conditions.
a) Time of birth and registration of birth.
b) progress of immunization and completion of immunization.
c) Enrollment and retention in school.
Equality of Educational Opportunities:
Provision of equal opportunities is the accepted working policy of all democratic nations. As Dr. Radhakrishnan said long ago, ‘Democracy provides only that all people should have equal opportunities for the development of their unequal talents’. Article 15, 16, 17, 38 and 48 of the Indian Constitution also guarantees that the state shall not discriminate between people on the basis of their religion, or region or caste or class. The Preamble of the Constitution also assures equality to all citizens. This implies that the Constitution is committed to the principle of equality and has accepted it as an article of faith.
He further added that, “One of the important social objectives of education is equality of opportunity, to enable the backward or disadvantaged sections and individuals.
Duals use education as a lever to improve their position. Every society that values social justice and is eager to improve the condition of the common man and develop all available talents must ensure progressive equality of opportunity for all sections of the population. This is the only guarantee of building an egalitarian human society, which will minimize the exploitation of mankind.
Need for equalization of educational opportunities:
It is essentially linked to the notion of equality in the social system. A social system that intends to provide equal opportunities for advancement to all must also make provision for equal educational opportunities. The reasons for such similarity are as follows:
1. Equality of educational opportunities is necessary for the establishment of an egalitarian society based on social equality and justice,
2. It contributes to the discovery of talents among all the people of the nation
3. It is necessary to ensure rapid progress of a nation
4. It is needed for successful functioning of democracy (educated people can ensure a meaningful democracy)
5. It helps in developing a closer relationship between the manpower needs of the society and the availability of skilled personnel
Role of Education in Equal Opportunities:
It is now widely believed that the provision of equality of education has become an absolute necessity to improve one’s social status. In modern society, it is possible to acquire competence and competence only through education. Education plays an important role in leading individuals towards upward social mobility. M.S.Gore is of the opinion that education plays a role in equalizing opportunities in three important ways:
1) By creating opportunities that should be made available to all who have the will and ability to benefit from them
2) By preparing materials of instruction which endeavor to promote the development of a scientific and practical outlook
3) By establishing a social environment on the basis of religion, language, caste, class etc. to provide equal opportunities to get good education.
It is a fact that education is not the only means of social mobility, but at the same time it is equally true that lack of education proves to be a major hindrance in mobility. Studies have shown that the underprivileged sections (SC, ST, OBC, women and others) in our society have been exploited because of their illiteracy. At the same time, he has also revealed that education has proved to be an effective means of equality especially for these classes.
Causes of Educational Inequalities:
1) Inequality of educational opportunity is caused by the poverty of a large number of people as they cannot afford education
2) Children studying in schools with less facilities in rural areas have to compete with children in urban areas that have well-equipped schools. Rural children’s poor performance may worsen their performance
3) In the absence of better educational facilities in the nearby area, children may find it difficult to go to remote areas to study.
4) Differences in home environment also lead to wider disparities, children living in slums may not get the same environment that children of elite parents get.
5) India continues to have wide gender inequality. Therefore, education of girls is not encouraged equally as that of boys at all levels of education
6) The education of the backward communities (SC, ST etc.) is not at par with the forward or mainstream communities of the society
Suggestions to remove inequality in educational opportunity in India:
The Government of India is trying to achieve the goal of providing equal educational opportunities to all. Some suggestions can be given as follows:
1) Adult illiteracy has to be removed by introducing suitable literacy programs to take advantage of education and to remove prejudices and biases
2) All efforts should be made to increase the opportunities of education for all the weaker sections of the society by following the policy of ‘protective discrimination’.
3) Serious efforts should be made to provide compulsory education to all children
4) Opportunities for higher education should be extended to all on the basis of merit
5) The Education Commission suggests:
i) Education should be made immediate for all at primary and secondary level and tuition free at university for the least needy deserving students.
ii) Text books and stationery should be supplied free of cost at the primary level
iii) girl student
Transport facilities should be provided to the students to reduce the accommodation and scholarship cost
iv) Facilities for students to earn a part of their educational expenses, i.e. “Earn while you learn”, schemes should be developed
v) There should be liberal schemes for scholarship
vi) Broad differences that are found in variation in educational development
states and districts should be minimized to a desirable content
The above discussion points to the fact that educational disparities can be addressed through careful and strong policy level changes. For this the government needs to take immediate steps