Indian women education: - A historical perspective

Dr. I..B.S. Yadav

By: DR. INDRA BIR SINGH YADAV

Education is a ladder of development. It dispels darkness and brings s light. It is a base of all Human Resource Development, a stepping stone for the onward march of culture, the bedrock of all human progress. An ancient proverb lays down: If you are planning for one year, plant trees; If you are planning for five years, plant rice: If you are planning for the future, educate your children.

“Education of one boy is education of one person by education of a girl the education of the whole family”. --- Jawaharlal Nehru

This statement amply and to a great extent explains the importance of women education. In India, the condition of women education has always remained deplorable. Women’ education was badly neglected in the past. While her position in Vedic times or even the Upanishadic Era was good, there is no doubt that period after 1000A.D. was a dark age for her. Whatever the historic reasons, her social position began to deteriorate during the period and had considerable repercussions on her education.

During the British period in the beginning nothing was done to promote the Women’s education. It was only with the establishment of municipalities and local fund committees in 1870 that it was possible to promote girls’ education through local public funds. Schools were opened and even SNDT University, the only women’s university came into existence in 1915 through the efforts of Maharishi Karve to provide higher education suitable for women.

The real impetus to women’s education came with the political awakening of the country and the great push Mahatma Gandhi gave to women’s movement.

Indian Women Education during Vedic Period:

During Vedic period the women were considered as complementary of man. She has the equal status as man. They had full rights for their education but, maximum education was done at their homes. This was the earlier condition of education of women in Vedic Period. Afterwards the women education was neglected. There was no arrangement for their education in Gurukul.

Indian Women Education during Budhistic Period:

In the beginning of Buddhist Period the women education was neglected. When Mahatma Buddha allowed the ladies monk in Vihara then the women education flourished. They lived separately. The Acharya lectured them in the presence of special monk or monks. During Buddhist Period the women education was available to the high caste women. The general and low caste women have zero education.

Indian Women Education during Muslim Period:

During Muslim Period the women education did not flourish because of Parda System .The daughters of Islam could not rise to the standard of perfection their preceptors had attained. The low age girls could go to Maktab and could have education but for higher education ,the guardians had to do arrangement at their  homes for their education that is for the instruction of girls, there were separate schools but usually they received their education in their own houses or in those of their  teachers, living in close proximity. Sometimes learned men of advanced age and often learned ladies of tried merits and school mistress were employed for this purpose. The higher educations for women were only available to higher class families and royal families. During Muslim period only individual hard labour and economic status were responsible for higher education of women.

During this period , when a girl commenced her studies  in a Maktab at that time she was made to read the Zarfishani to her parents, who made rich parents to the honoured Ustad in an assemblage called for this purpose. This was known as the Maktab Ceremony. But altogether women education was neglected during this period.

Indian Women Education during British Period:

The East India Company did not consider it necessary to educate the fair sex, perhaps because lady clerks or officers were not required for administrative purposes. At the same time, a variety of odd superstitions held back girls education. Thus William Adams wrote about female education in 1838:-

 “All the established native institutions of education exist for the benefit of the male sex only, and the whole of the female sex is systematically consigned to ignorance and left wholly without even the semblance of a provision for their instruction.”

            During the Company’s rule there was no separate state Schools for girls and hardly a few girls were attending boys’ schools. Most of the Girls School was run by missionaries and a few by private bodies. In 1851, the Protestant Missions were conducting 86 boarding schools and 285 day schools for girls with an enrollment of 2274 and 8919 respectively. According to the Educational Dispatch of 1854, the total number of girls school was 256 in Madras (Chennai), 65 in Bombay (Mumbai), 288 in Bengal and 17 in North Western Provinces.

FROM 1857 TO 1902:

The Indian Education Commission of 1882, while examining the question of girls education remarked---“Female education is still in an extremely backward condition and needs to be fostered in every legitimate way.”

It recommended that it should receive a larger share of public funds. As a result, state funds were spent more freely on girls’ education. There was a sharp rise in private efforts also. Owing to these two factors girls’ education progressed. This was especially noticeable amongst Europeanized communities viz Brahmo Samaj, the Parsees and the Christians.

FROM 1902 TO 1917:

But very son the feeling of passive apathy was changed into active sympathy owing to sentimental and material causes. The Education Departments also took some active steps and devised new plans for spreading education viz separate schools for girls were started. Arrangements of conveyance for taking girls to schools were made. Inspectors were appointed, favourable grants were given to private girls schools, and steps were taken to attract ladies to the teaching profession.

The above steps gave a great encouragement to girls’ education. In 1984, Mrs. Annie Besant established the Central Hindu Girls School at Banaras (Varanasi) with the object of importing Western Education to girls quite separately from boys in a modernized school of Hinduism. In 1916 the first Medical College lady Hardinge College, Delhi was established for the fairer sex in the country. The Women (SNDT) University was also established in the same year.

            In 1917 there were 12 arts colleges, four professionals’ colleges and 166 secondary schools for girls. The majority of girls however did not continue their studies in schools for a long period.

FROM 1917 TO 1947:

            During this period development of women education took place very rapidly. At the time of Independence, there were thirty thousand Institutions related with women education and approximately fifty lakh women were getting education from these Institutions’.

Indian Women Education during Modern Period:

After Independence revolutionary changes came into the field of women education .Many committees and commissions were established for the welfare of women and their education, namely:

i.                    Durga Bai Deshmukh Committee – 1958

ii.                  Hansa Mehata Committee--- 1964

iii.                National Policy on Education—1986

There is considerable expansion in educational facilities for women all over the country at all levels. Major emphasis is given on women participation in vocational, technical and professional education at different levels. The special emphasis was lead on the removal of disparities and equalization of opportunity to women for attending their specific needs in acquiring education. Various steps were taken by State Governments and Central Government to remove prejudice and complexes present in Indian Women in acquiring education. Special vocational training Institutions’ for women were established by the State Departments of vocational education.

During Modern Period women education has become a revolution. Now the women are present in the every field of education. The knowledge explosion has made them universal. During this period the women education has been treated at par with the men. They have equal opportunities and facilities for them. More facilities have been given to them by the governments. The Railway Budget 2000-2001 introduced in the Lok Sabha by then Railway minister Miss Mamta Banerjee has provision of free pass to girls’ student to attend their colleges and schools up to the level of class XII. The government is seriously thinking of making girls education free up to the level of graduate. In this period the women education is far ahead in comparison to their Vedic Period.

Pointers for Reform in Women Education:

1.      School going should be made convenient and acceptable for girls. This can be done in a number ways like exempting girls from paying fees, periods of free education for girls may be made longer than boys, staffing of primary school with fairly elder and mature women teachers can also increase the holding power of schools.

2.       A nursery or pre-primary school should be attached to every girl’s school where the pupils are allowed to bring their younger brothers and sisters during school hours etc. As many girls are not sent to school, not because of the social stigma, but because they are required at home to look after young brothers and sisters and shoulder the household work.

3.      Special incentives like additional allowances commensurate with hardship of rural areas should be given to the women teachers.

4.      Accommodation for lady teachers should be provided near the schools.

5.      A social climate needs to be created among the village community to enroll all girls of school going age.

6.      Family education should be made an integral part of women education.

7.      Contents of women education should be emphasis the needs of womanhood.

8.      Central and State Governments should join hands and seek the cooperation of all voluntary organizations to spread education for girls every nook and corner of the country.

9.      Post elementary education should enable a woman to become a better wife, a better mother and an useful citizen. This education should increase the earning capacity of woman. Therefore, it must definitely be job oriented. Volunteers, NGO, Women Welfare Associations and Government agencies   can help in running short term, useful and job oriented courses, Accountancy, Child Care, Nutrition, Dietician, Para Medical Courses ,Interior Decoration, Cuisine, Repairing fuses, Electronic Goods  etc are some of the jobs which prove helpful in the home and also enable some to get employment.

10.  There are more than six thousands National and State Welfare associations in India. Government should urge them to take up at least one common item of work.

11.  Voluntary agencies can further play an important role in creating the right kind of public opinion in favour of women education.