EDUCATION AND WOMEN'S EQUALITY
3.1 The NPERC considered women's education to be a vital component of the overall strategy of securing equity and social justice in education. It rightly addressed the issue of women's education with reference to the special existential problems of women -- such as the prevailing cultural norms of gender behaviour and the perceived domestic and reproductive roles of women which restrict the access of women to education. The NPERC strongly advocated intervention on behalf of women by the State in all its manifestations -- the Central 3&3 Government, the State Governments and the Local Bodies. The NPERC sought to differentiate its perspective from that of the NPE by contending that the NPE seemingly construed that education alone was an agent of basic change in the status of women, the thrust of NPE lay in the intervention within the education system and that NPE did not adequately address socioeconomic and cultural constraints that were outside the school system and had a direct bearing on education. In essence, the NPERC's perspective is very much in tune with what NPE envisaged in regard to women's education. Paras 4.2 and 4.3 of NPE are very strong statements on the interventionist and empowering role of education. Inter alia, they emphasise the provision of special support services and removal of factors which result in discrimination against women at all levels of education. There is nothing in them to be susceptible of the interpretation which NPERC had made.
3.2 The recommendations of the NPERC 'mainly relate to the logistics of implementation. Most of them, such as those relating to ECCE, availability of schooling, regional disparities, content of education and the gender bias, training of teachers, vocational education, and adult education are also reflected in the recommendations contained in the other chapters of the NPERC's Report dealing with these subjects. our views on such recommendations are presented in the corresponding chapters. We present here our views only on those of the recommendations which are not treated elsewhere in the report of the NPERC.
3.3 R.Nos.1 to 5 bring out the nexus between girls schooling and access to water, fuel and fodder. The suggestion is that this nexus should inform educational planning and that the Department of Education should co-ordinate with other departments with a view, to bringing about an improvement in the access of women to education. The criticality of the nexus highlighted by the NPERC cannot be exaggerated, however, the coordinating role is better discharged by the Department of Women and Child Development and the Planning Commission at the Centre, the corresponding agencies at the State level and the agencies responsible for integrated planning and development at the district and sub-district level. It would riot be realistic to expect the education department alone, whether at the Centre or in the States, to play the lead role for ensuring that women's
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development occurs in a holistic manner. The NPERC's recommendations in regard to the gender bias in curriculum and textbooks (R.Nos.17 to 20), media (R.Nos.21 to 27), women's studies (R.Nos.41 to 48) and representation of women in educational hierarchy (R.Nos.49 to 52) are very much in keeping with the spirit of the NPE/POA. R.Nos.53 to 57 endorse the Mahila Samakhya approach which is a product of the NPE.
3.4 R.Nos.58 to 62 call for earmarking of resources for women's education not only in the allocations of elementary, secondary, vocational and higher education but also in the Special Component Plan 3]3 (SCP) for SCs and the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) for STs. However, there is a fundamental difference between SC/ST problems and the women's question. The problem of women's education cuts across caste and regional barriers. Therefore, while women's participation in education should be closely monitored and particular attention paid to remove the barriers impeding such participation, the earmarking of funds may not be administratively feasible.
3.5 To sum up, we are of the view that while the NPERC had rightly reiterated the importance of women's education, the NPE policy frame is adequate and the POA should be revised to take into account the recommendations of the NPERC.
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