In India, girls and women often find themselves shackled by gender stereotypes and patriarchal customs, making gender differences clear. Nearly twice as many girls are pulled out of school, or are never sent to school, particularly if they belong to low socioeconomic or marginalised groups. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2019, parents of girls from poorer households preferred to invest in their sons by enrolling them in private schools. Early marriage for girls is pervasive, including pregnancy in early puberty. Education often stops once she is married or pregnant and in many places, official or informal educational policies even prohibit married or pregnant girls from attending school. These regulations create illiterate mothers whose children are more than twice as likely to be out of school as children whose mothers have been educated to some degree. (UNICEF, GAP)
The lack of political effort and support, compounded by shifts in political power over the years has prevented steady progress towards these objectives. Though India’s present constitutional and policy framework on education has been built on premises that acknowledge and contest gender discrimination, the right to education nevertheless “filters through mind-boggling administrative machinery that perpetuates exclusion.” (Sur, Malini, 267)
Bridging the gap would require a bold and innovative strategy. The commitment is stronger than ever before and the Indian Government, acknowledging the gender disparity, has made female education a priority. The flagship program for universal primary education — Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) or "Education for All" — puts particular focus on women's education and gender parity. The National Education Policy is a ray of hope in this mission.
However helpless it might make us feel, the gender disparity in India can be overcomed only through stronger and better policies. At the same time, it is a fallacy to think that there can be no linkages whatsoever between local ownership and external dynamics. International, especially multilateral, development partners have an important role to play in facilitating the bridge building between and among the cultural agents of change themselves on the one hand, and between them and their respective policymakers on the other (Karam,1).
But in this day and age of technology and increasing speed of technology, the youth of this country has a great resource at their disposal and they can do through a plethora of platforms and this reformation will help bridge the gap between different communities in Generation Z. At the end of the day, achieving gender parity is not just about feminism or equality but about the role of the educational system, about democracy and above all, justice for everyone.
Bibliography:
C., Sumant Sen & Srravya. “Data: Gender Disparity in Early Education.” The Hindu, The Hindu, 22 Jan. 2020, www.thehindu.com/data/data-gender-disparity-in-early-education/article30625234.ece.
“Gender Disparity in Primary Education: The Experience in India | UN Chronicle.” United Nations, United Nations, unchronicle.un.org/article/gender-disparity-primary-education-experience-india.
Karam, A. (n.d.). Education as the Pathway towards Gender Equality. Retrieved August 12, 2020, from https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/education-pathway-towards-gender-equality
Sur, Malini. “Women’s Right to Education—A Narrative on International Law.” Indian Journal of Gender Studies, vol. 11, no. 3, Oct. 2004, pp. 255–274, doi:10.1177/097152150401100301.
Volberg, Thorsten. “Gender Disparities in India's Educational System and the Role of UNICEF.” GRIN, www.grin.com/document/53932.
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