 EDUCATION FOR WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mahila Samakhya

3.1.1 The Mahila Samakhya programmes is a direct outcome of the commitment to affirmative action in support of women's education mandated in the National Policy on Education. A programme for women's education and empowerment, Mahila Samakhya endeavours to create a learning environment where women can collectively affirm their potential, gain the strength to demand information and knowledge, and move forward to change and take charge of their lives.

3.1.2 Education is understood as an ongoing process of learning and empowerment which transcends mere literacy. The Programme, which is not constrained by present agenda or predetermined targets, responds and designs interventions to meet the articulated needs of rural poor women. The sangria (village level women's collective) is teh nodal point around which the programme revolves.

3.1.3 The process of mobilishing and organising women is facilitated by a "sahayogini" (a cluster co-ordinator in charge of 10 villages). She is a crucial link between the village sangha and the district implementation unit of the programme. The later provides resources support and inputs to meet the needs of the women. the district unit sin turn are supported by a State Office which ensures a facilitative environment and brings in necessary resource inputs for the programmes. At the State level, an autonomous registered society as an empowered body has been set up to oversee the programme. At the national level the programme is co-ordinated by Project Director. A National Resource Group, an advisory body of eminent women activists, academics, development workers and bureaucrats, supports the programmes, bringing in new concepts, ideas and experiences and guides and advises on the programmes polices and strategies.

3.1.4 Mahila Samakhya has expanded its coverage to 31 districts in the country, white its approach has influenced several other educational proposals. Under Dutch funding the programme is being implemented in 2,574 villages of 15 districts in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. The effectiveness of the MS strategy in mobilising women for education has resulted in it being adopted by other basic education projects. Through the IDA assisted UP Basic Education Project, 6 districts have been additionally covered in U.P. The programmes is being implemented in 7 districts of Bihar as part of the Bihar Education project in 3 districts of Madhya Pradesh the programme is supported by the District Primary Education Programme.

3.1.5 Over the past several years the Mahila Samakhya strategy has been validated in different regional contexts in the country. Womens' capacities and their information base are continually being enhanced, setting in motion a process of collective questioning and action. Vibrant and strong "Mahila Sanghas" or women's collectives have evolved at the village level, thereby laying a foundation for women's empowerment at the grass roots.

3.1.6 The effectiveness of the MS strategy and its impact can be seen both in the rich texture of womens' mobilisation and action as well as the various alternatives that the programme has thrown up. "Mahila Samakhya" in all States have engaged with a remarkable range of issues. The spheres of sangha activity and action are ever expanding, ranging from accessing basic civic amenities; learning to deal with health issues; committing themselves to ensuring learning opportunities for their children, especially girls; doggedly trying to make themselves literate; breaking gender stereotypes in acquiring new skills like even becoming mechanics; learning to manage credit, effectively participating in Panchayati Raj processes; learning legal procedures and understanding how administrative and social structures work; gaining in strength to demand accountability and effective delivery of services; to confidently addressing issues like violence against women, child marriage and the devadasi system etc.

3.1.7 Womens' Sanghas have taken an active lead in the area of children's/girl child education. The needs from pre-school education to adult literacy are being addressed.

3.1.8 In Gujarat, Early Child Care Centres are being run and managed by committees of sakhis, sahayoginis and anganwadis. These committees monitor the centres and mobilise local resources in cash and kind. In UP, the centres picturesquely called Udan Khatolas, Hindola or Buransh cater to children who have dropped out, never gone to school and to pre-schoolers. Bal melas and Bal sabhas are periodically organised to enable children from various villages to meet and share their excitement. The teacher's (anudeshikas) skills are continually upgrades through a planned training programme. In Karnataka, some sanghas are running balwadis with no financial assistance from MS except the initial setting up and training to the workers. These sanghas are playing an active role in enrolling children into primary school.

3.1.9 Significant interventions have evolved specially in the area of girls/women's education Bal Mitra Kendras (non-formal education) for girls have been started in Andhra Pradesh to cater to the needs of girls. An important feature of these kendras is the focus on establishing and creating a sense of partnership and ownership in this activity among the sangha women, parents and the community. Sanghas and parents play a proactive role in selection of teachers, monitoring the centres and most importantly contribute financially to the teacher's fee.

3.1.10 The Mahila Shikshana Kendra is a unique learning opportunity for adolescent girls and young women. This institution has evolved through the Mahila Samakhya programme and there is a major demand for setting up these centres in all MS districts and blocks. A residential programme, it varies in its focus and curriculum as it is designed to meet the specific local needs. There are 8 kendras being run in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat. In Bihar 5 MSK's are being run by the MS-BEP for school drop-outs and never enrolled adolescent girls. In Karnataka, the MSK helps and prepares school drop-outs to take school leaving examinations. In Andhra Pradesh, a one year curriculum has been evolved to include basic literacy skills, health and environment awareness, mobilisation and vocational skills. In UP, an innovative and gender focussed curriculum has been evolved along with the learners, whose ages range from 15 to 35. The duration of the condensed course is about 6 months. It is anticipated that the MSK would facilitate the learning and training of aware young women who will play a decisive role in the development of their communities.

3.1.11 Interventions for literacy have been propelled by the demand and desire of sangha women to learn to read and write. In almost all instances this demand has emerged when women want to deal with issues like wages, savings, accessing government schemes, skills upgradation, interacting with socio-political structures. MS has responded to this demand by producing gender sensitive and learner friendly materials and through efforts to sustain the literacy efforts through camps/centres. In some cases linking up with on-going Total Literacy Campaigns has also been done. In Karnataka, the sanghas have awarded the title of "gnana gelathiyaru" or guiding light to women who have learnt to read and write and are now teaching others. The most significant achievement has been the training of neo-literate women in screen printing and production of broadsheets in Banda district of UP. The Mahila Dakhiya which is regularly published by the Banda women, received the Chameli Devi National Media Award in March 1996.

3.1.12 To enable women to improve their health status, health awareness and trainings are systematically being imparted particularly in the States of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. As part of this training, herbal medicine, which traditionally was in the hands of women is being, retrieved, documented and its usage validated. This has resulted in the emergence of sangha women as health healers. Sanghas themselves are engaged in growing herbariums and keeping alive this indigenous knowledge system. In addition, sanghas have also in many instances managed to enforce greater accountability from the health system and ensured that ANMs visit villages regularly. A health curriculum for adolescent girls is also being evolved in the States.

3.1.13 Learning to access and control resources has been an important of the learning process in Mahila Samakhya. To learn what resources are available, how to develop them or access fresh ones, the procedures involved therein, the bottlenecks likely to be encountered etc. are all part of the education that rural women find exciting and informative.

3.1.14 In Rajkot district of Gujarat, MS in collaboration with the District panchayat and the UNICEF is involved in a major venture for handpump repair and maintenance through women's participation. This has meant training women as mechanics and the constitution of water committees. Discussions on health and environment have led to a variety of activities. In Banda district in UP sangha women have been active in the van panchayats and afforestation programmes. In Andhra Pradesh's Medak district, as a result of health training, 830 women applied for and were sanctioned funds and materials for setting up toilets. An offshoot of this has been the initiation of training in masonry.

3.1.15 Savings and access to credit has been the focus of sanghas in Bijapur district of Karnataka. With a savings pool of over Rs.7 lakhs, the sanghas are now considering starting a rural women's bank. They have been able to negotiate with NABARD for income generation activities of their choice. The savings activities in all the States has led to training in accounts and record keeping and most importantly given a spurt to literacy activity. In all the States, strong sanghas have now begun to consciously access schemes like DWCRA.

3.1.16 In UP, sangha women and sahayoginis in Banda have formed a women's co-operative VANANGNA, which handles screen printing, handpump maintenance and contract jobs for masonry, as women in the co- operative are well trained to carry out these tasks.

3.1.17 Women across the MS supreme have confidently addressed issues of violence, child marriage and the devadasi system. In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh the sanghas have been effective in the prevention of initiation of young girls as devadasis. Legal awareness and education inputs are being run in all States. In UP the Saharanpur district unit provides legal support for registering cases of violence and assists in regular follow-up.

3.1.18 One of the most interesting alternative structures developed to deal with legal tangles issues, has been the setting up of a Nari Adalat in Vaghodia block of Baroda district. Women have received para legal training and are handling cases relating to stridhan, maintenance, child custody and property disputes in community counts.

3.1.19 Taking conscious decisions and making informed choices has underlined the participation of sangha women in all the States. This has logically brought women into the area of political processes especially at the local levels. Extensive dissemination of information on the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act resulted in many sarighas putting up women candidates and deciding upon strategies for election. 231 women from the MS programme in Gujarat, 135 in Karnataka, 120 in UP and 51 in Andhra Pradesh have been elected to various Panchayat bodies. Reports particularly from Karnataka indicate that the participation of sangha women in the

working of the panchayats is of a qualitatively higher as they have shown themselves to be more aware, informed, and articulate with gender-conscious agendas.

Empowering Women Through Education

3.2.1 A comer-stone of the National Policy on Education is the removal of disparities in the field of education and to bring this about 'a well conceived edge in favour of women' is posited.

3.2.2 Gender awareness, gender sensitisation and gender weightage are, therefore, ingredients in all educational interventions.

* One of the most successful efforts to link women's empowerment with education has been Mahila Samakhya. The programme is operational in 17 districts spread over the four States of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. The Samakhaya approach begins with the understanding that women must identify their problems and evolve solutions at their own pace.

A critical factor in the process of empowerment has been the sangha or women's collective. The sangha is a forum where women can collectively analyse their problems and share their experiences. The Samakhya approach has been successfully adopted by several basic education programmes, including the Bihar Education Project, District Primary Education Programme in Madhya Pradesh and in Assam.

* The Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) has been successful in raising the demand for education especially among women. In most of 417 districts, women made up over 60 per cent of adults enrolled in the programme. The classes have motivated women to fight for minimum wages 'and launch a crusade against prohibition.

In campaign mode, the programme actively seeks to attract women and girls to participate in the educational process. In 178 TLC districts, post literacy campaigns have begun and these address the needs of neo-literate learners. TLC is gradually being extended in the educationally backward states.

* In order that illiteracy may be eradicated amongst adult women, it would first be necessary to tackle the problem at the primary stage. Under the scheme of Operation Blackboard, of the 1.47 lakh teachers appointed, 47 per cent or 69,090 were women. In future, at least half of all teachers appointed are expected to be women.

* The Non-Formal Education system is being extended to meet the needs particularly of the girls who are unable to attend formal school. NFE Centres run exclusively for girls get 90 per cent assistance from the central Government. The number of such centres has been increased from 25 per cent to 40 per cent of the total during the Eighth Plan period.

* At the other end of the spectrum are the Navodaya Vidyalayas, centres for excellence, where at least one third of the students would be girls. In both the Kendriya Vidyalaya and Navodaya Vidyalayas, education for girls is free upto class XII.

* Building on these scheme is the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) which focuses on improving girls' access to and participation in school. The programme is now operational in 52 districts spread over eleven states: Assam, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Orissa. It is proposed to cover another 61 districts by the end of the 8th Plan. The attempt is to build in an equity focus from early formal schooling.

DPEP's district focus is a conscious attempt to decentralise the planning process as a strategy to universalise elementary education. Educationally backward districts which have a female literacy rate below the national average have been selected for the programme. As DPEP has a well-defined gender focus which ensures that all interventions and activities are gender-aware, this effort to integrate a gender perspective begins with the planning process.

* In many states, free education for girls is already part of the effort to improve participation rates.

* For girls who complete Class X and then drop-out, vocational training programmes which emphasise entrepreneurship have been designed. This is a centrally sponsored scheme which consciously attempts to introduce new and emerging technologies to women.

* Another step in girls' education is the operationalisation of the scheme for assistance to voluntary organisations for strengthening boarding/hostel facilities for girls students of the secondary and higher secondary schools. During the VIII Plan 3,580 girls are expected to be benefitted.

* The efforts of the last four decades and more have resulted in a massive increase in number of women who enter universities.

* In the technical and professional higher education programmes too, there has been a marked increase in the participation of women.

* The University Grants Commission has been encouraging institutions to take up research projects in the area of women's studies by providing necessary funds. UGC has also assisted 22 universities and 11 colleges to set up Women's Studies Centres. This is in addition to the 40 positions of part-time research associateships for women.