PROBLEMS OF GIRLS' EDUCATION FUTURE COURSE OF ACTION.
A. Problems Almost all the problems confronting the educational deve- lopment of women have been discussed one way or the other in the preceding chapters, while reviewing and analysing the pro- gress of education of women since independence. But it is neces- sary to re-discuss these problems at one place in a consolidated form from the point of view of suggesting corrective measures and special programmes required to tackle these problems. A brief account of these problems is given below alongwith mea- sures required for tackling these problems.
1. Quantitative Task One of the major problems of girls' education is the quanti- tative task involved in bridging the gap between educational development of boys and girls. In spite of the stupendous pro- gress of women's education, as reported earlier, the enrolment of girls' constitutes only 35 per cent of the total enrolment, as against their population proportion of 48 per cent, indicating the huge quantitative gap that is required to be bridged to achieve the desired goal of equality of educational development between boys and girls, Further, out of the estimated 48 minion out- of-school children of the compulsory age-group 6-14. 35 million or nearly two-thirds are girls. According to the Fourth Educational Survey (1978), primary educational facilities have been provided to almost all habitations within an easy walking distance of a child (1 km.). While boys of the age-group 6-11 have been covered under the programme of Universalisation of Elementary Education, girls with an enrolment ratio of 68 per cent have to still cover a gap of 32 per cent of this age-group. The following table indicates the quantum of the problem.
54
55
TABLE 21-Gap in the Educational Development 1980-81*
Item/State of Total Girls, Percentage No. of
(Boys & Enrol- of girls' girls per
Girls) ment enrolment too boys
to total
enrolment
1 2 3 4 5
Enrolment in all Educational Institutes (in Millions) 110 39 35 55
Enrolment in Primary Classes (I-V) (in 000's) 75214 29358 39 64
Enrolment in Middle Classes (VI--VIII) (in 000's) 20385 6910 34 51
Enrolment in Secondary Classes (IX-XI/XII) (in 000's) 10000 + 3000 30 31
Enrolment of College and+University Stage (in 000's) 3000 1000 30 30
Enrolment in Vocational Technical and Special Courses School Standard (in
000's) 3000 500 17 20
+Provisional.
*Source : Ministry of Education and Culture.
56
It is seen that quite a wide gap between education of boys and girls exists and the quantum of the problem is huge. Many reasons have been found for non-attendance of girls which are briefly discussed below:-
(a) From a very early age, girls begin to look after their younger brothers and sisters and do household work to relieve their parents to go out as labourers or to work in the farms. Some girls of the age-group 6-14 are engaged in some vocations. In such cases the school hours of the formal system do not suit them;
(b) In many communities, particularly in rural areas, the idea of sending a girl of 7-8 years age to a school does not find favour. Even otherwise, apathy to co-education, is found among illiterate parents;
(c) Early marriage or betrothel and Purdah system and segregation of girls from boys from early age affects adversely the enrolment rates of girls;
(d) Cultural heritage and social constraints in many areas of the country bold back the girls at home;
(e) lack of qualified women teachers is another impor- tant factor which affects adversely the participation rates of girls in schools. Parents are not willing to send girls to schools where men teacher are teach- ing;
(f) Parents prefer boys' education to girls' education. The village community is not convinced of the use- fulness of the educational programmes for the girls;
(g) Lack of proper security measures for girl students and women teachers affect adversly the educational development of girls and women;
(h) Inadequate means of communication' in rural areas prevent girls from attending schools.
57
Other Problems: Following are some of the other problems in connection with the development of girls' education in India:
(i) Separate Institutions for Girls Owing to cultural and social heritage, parents are reluctant to send girls to boys schools particularly from middle level and above. Both the Secondary Education Commission (1953) and National Committee on Women's Education (1958) re- commended the establishment of separate institutions for girls with a view to promoting education among them. But the percentage of girls institutions to total number of major types of educational institutions still works out to be 10 to 15, as against their enrolment proportion of 35. In the case of middle and secondary schools, the proportion of girls schools are in the range of 10 to 14 per cent as against their enrolment propor- tion of 34 and 35 per cent respectively. Similarly only 15 per cent of colleges for General Education are exclusively for girls as against their enrolment proportion of 30 per cent. Although the movement of co-education has gained ground and finds favour with the educational administrators and planners from the point of view of economy and standards of education, there is still a great necessity of establishing separate institutions for girls, because quite a large number of girls prefer to study in separate institutions, provided facilities for all courses are avail- able and some standards are maintained in girls' institutions as in boys' institutions.
(ii) Paucity of Women Teachers One of the factors hindering the progress of women's educa- tion has been the inadequacy of the women teachers in educa- tional institutions. It has been one of the recommendations of almost all the committees and commissions, set up from time to time in the field of education, to appoint more women teachers in the institutions in order to attract more girls and to improve their enrolment ratios. It has been the acceptable view to
58
appoint all women teachers in the mixed pre-primary and primary schools. The recommendations have still gone further in relaxing educational qualifications and training in case of women teachers and provision of special facilities like accom- modation and special allowances to attract more women teachers to the profession, particularly in the rural areas. In spite of an increase with proportion of women teachers as shown in table No. 18 in the preceding section there still remains a great lee-way in this regard.
(iii) Separate Curricula for Girls In spite of the recommendations of the Hansa Mehta Com- mittee on the Differentiation of curricula for boys and girls, which were supported by the Education Commission and accept- ed by the Government of India, many of the States continue to prescribe different curricula for boys and girls at the school level. Girls' institutions often make provision for courses of Home Science, Needle Work and Fine Arts, but have no provi- sion for Science and Mathematics. This has had an adverse effect, particularly on the teaching of Mathematics and Science for girls, consequently resulting in the inadequate supply of wo- men teachers in these subjects and thus depriving the facilities of these courses to girls attending separate institutions for girls. In view of the socio-economic changes and development of career consciousness and economic liberty among women, the differen- tiation in curriculum, facilities available to them adversely affect their educational development and employment prospects.
(iv) Lack of Transport facilities Lack of transport facilities, particularly in rural areas for girls to attend middle and secondary schools, which are suffi- ciently far away from their habitations, is one of the major causes of the large-scale drop-out of girls after completing lower primary education.
(v) Inadequate Hostel Facilities Many girls desirous of pursuing education above middle level, facilities for which are available away from their homes,
59
cannot avail themselves of these facilities due to lack of hostel, arrangements. Girls, particularly belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities would continue their educa- tion at middle and above levels, provided they get free or cheaper residential facilities nearer the educational institution.
(vi) Insecurity Parents often complain about existence of insecurity for girls to attend schools. Occurrence of cases of abduction, rape- and molestation of girls often dampen the enthusiasm of girls in pursuing education beyond a certain age, when their parents bind them to homes.
(vii) Lack of Child-care Centres or Balwadis As is known, girls are often required to look after their younger brothers and sisters at home, when their parents go out for economic activities. They may like to go to schools, if arrangements for keeping their brothers and sisters in an attach- ed child-care centres or balwadies are made. The non existence or inadequate facilities for such arrangements, particularly in rural areas, have been one of the established reasons for non- enrolment of girls or a large-scale drop-out in class I.
(viii) Fixed Schooling Hours Fixed schooling hours do not suit girls in rural areas, as they are wanted for domestic work at home or in farms and fields for collecting fire-wood, coal waste, cowdung and fetching water during these hours. This is one of the causes of lower participation rates of girls in school education. The enrolment rates of girls and their retention can be improved, if educational facilities are made available to girls during the period suitable to them, when they are free from domestic chores.
(ix) Unattractive School Environment Most of the girls do not attend schools or drop out after initial enrolment, because of lack of physical facilities and con-
60
genial environments in schools, particularly in case of mixed schools. Lack of proper place for girls' sitting in the class- rooms, non-availability of separate toilets for girls, absence of separate arrangements for games and sports, existence of wide- spread rowdyism by boys, existence of unkindful and discrimina- ting attitude of, teachers and manly atmosphere in the institutions affect adversely the enrolment rates of girls in schools.
(x) Illiteracy Another problem in women's education in India today is provision of some basic education to the overwhelming majority of parents who have remained outside the reach of the formal system because of their age and social responsibilities as well as the literacy gap. The large majority of them are illiterate or semi-literate. The programme of adult literacy undertaken from time to time and introduction of Functional Literacy pro- gramme from Fourth Plan that continued in the Fifth and Sixth Plan in the form of Rural Functional Literacy has not created any visible impact on the problem of illiteracy. Although no official evaluation of the programme has been made, the avail- able reports show little progress in this regard. The adult centres at present running in states have not attracted enmasse the illiterate women and often the Adult Education Centres for Women are short of the requisite enrolment, whereas the stock of illiterate women is daily augmented with non-enrolled and dropped out adult women. Lack of proper physical facilities, unattractive environments; absence of advertisement; pro- poganda and Persuasive drive; insecurity; unattractive contents of reading materials; lack of motivation; among other factors. are responsible for the slow progress of the adult educational programme for women.
B. Suggestive Measures A large number of recommendations have been made and measures suggested for bridging the wide gap between the edu- cational development of boys and girls by various well known
61
Committees, and Commissions, set up in the country from time to time. These measures and recommendations have been re- ferred to at appropriate places in the preceding chapters. How- ever, these and other measures are discussed, reiterated and suggested below as a future course of action, in the form of a "Crash Programme" in the Plan, if any dent is to be made, in the perennial problem of inequality of the educational develop- ment of girls and boys.
The wide gap between the educational development of boys and girls can be narrowed by improving the rates of girls' en- rolment and their retention, by adopting the following measures in a big way as a package deal. Some of these measures are already in vogue in some states in a partial way or on a pilot basis, but the adoption of these measures partially or on pilot basis has not made any visible impact on this problem. There- fore the following measures are suggested to be adopted in totality and uniformly in a big way:
(a) Free Education Free education should be introduced for girls up to secon- dary stage (Up to Xth class) by all states;
(b) Separate Institutions Wherever there is a demand for separate institutions for girls even at the elementary stage, these should be established, the need of mixed schools notwithstanding;
(c) Access to education Schooling facilities should be provided to the girls nearer to their place of residence (within easy walking distance). Mobile schools may be started for-girls of nomadic tribes, migrant labourers and construction workers.
(d) Transport, Hostel Facilities--Residential Schools Adequate arrangements should be made for free transport of girls to school if it is situated more than 1 k.m. from their habi- tations. Free or cheap hostel facilities may be provided to girls
62