 EDUCATION FOR WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Empowering Women Through Education

Female literacy rate outstripped male literacy rate in the 80s. The impact of central and state initiatives was reflected in the decennial literacy growth rates: a healthy 7.76 per cent for men and a burgeoning 9.54 percent for women.

The decennial literacy growth rates also signify a conceptual advance in the educational policy framework. The National Policy on Education is committed to ensure "a well-conceived edge in favour of women as an act of faith and social engineering". The NPE recognises that the empowerment of women is possibly the most critical precondition for the participation of girls and women in the educational process.

The effort to spread the educational system across the country begins with the understanding that opportunities for the girl child and women are far less both within the home and in the wider community. Role expectations of girl-child need to be transformed through the content, form and methodology of education.

Building a gender awareness into all the nuances of education has been a focal point for interventions across the system.

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 Samakhya 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 situation with the benefit of shared experiences. As discovered in the process of taking control of their lives, women appreciate the value of formal schooling for their families and themselves.

Total Literacy Campaigns(TLCs) has been successful in raising enrolment specially among women, as more than 60% adults enrolled in the programme are women. The programme also seeks to encourage women and girls to participate in the educational process. The

scheme of operation Black-board aims to appoint women teachers which should be atleast 50% of the total number of teachers appointed under the scheme. Focus is also given in the NFE Programme where 90% financial assistance is given for NFE centres run exlusively for girls. The number of these centres would go up from 27% to 40% of the total. Navodaya Vidyalayas, which are intended to be Centre for Excellence require atleast 1/3 of the students to be girls. Girls Education is free upto Class XII both in Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas. In many states free education for girls is also part of the efforts to improve their participation. Shiksha Karmi Project in Rajasthan also emphasises girls, participation.

District Primary Education Programme focusses on improving girls access to and participation in schools. Educationally backward Districts which have female literacy rate below the national average have been selected for the programme and a marked gender focus permeates the programme design, planning and implementation processes. The programme has introduced special interventions for girls education while at the same time introduced measures to make the educational system more sensitive and responsive to the needs of girls and women. Capacity building of local bodies such as Village Education Comittees, Mother - Teacher Association and women's groups has been initiated, to enable them to promote education for girls in their areas.

Special Vocational Training programmes have been designed for Class X girl dropouts with boarding and hostel facilities for girl students. During the last four decades, there has been a massive increase in the number of women entering higher education. In the technical and professional institutes for higher education too there has been tremendous increase in the participation of women.