The Education Of Women

There is one thing for which we should all be thankful. Today, we are not required to prove that girls should be educated like boys. That valuable work was done by the great pioneers of the 19th century, by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, by Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, by a host of other far-seeing builders of our nation. As a result of their pioneering efforts, in most families where education is imparted to boys, it is being imparted to girls as well. Out of evil cometh good; and out of the hateful and vicious dowry system has come the spread of education among girls of middle-class families. Parents of girls, who are unable to scrape together funds to meet the demands of a daughter’s dowry, find it easier to educate their daughters.

But that does not mean that we can afford to be complacent. The spirit of blind orthodoxy is not yet dead, and old ways of thought often create confusion in dealing with these problems. We have to keep ourselves wide awake and judge the entire problem from a purely utilitarian standpoint. The problems posed by the orthodox must be disposed of.

First, there is the problem,-should girls have the same type of education as boys? It is a difficult question, but not unanswerable. There is no harm in giving them the same education, for one of the priceless benefits of education is to liberalize the mind. Perhaps in our orthodox society, the liberalisation of the feminine mind is even more desirable. While we do not forget that girls will be the guardians of home-like, the mothers of future generations, we do not believe that a woman has no other life than rearing a family. “Back to the kitchen” is as meaningless a cry as “back to the village”. We should never say “go back” because time never goes back; always our cry should be “go forward and onward”. But of course, we must have a clear idea about the goal that we have in view. Since the end of 'general education is to liberalize,m, the mind, an education that does it for boys will also do it for girls as well.

There is another reason. In the hard struggle for existence, few middle-class families can be comfortable on the income of a single individual. More and more wives are seeking to add to the family income since our constitution is clear on the issue of equal opportunities for men and women. Hence we should throw the gates of education wide upon for all alike.

Another question that will arise, is-should girls, be educated in the same schools as boys? In a poor country like ours, the question is partially answered by economic circumstances. In the primary stages, at least up to a certain age, they have to be. Afterward, progress should be paced according to the education of the public mind. To force the pace is not always right; neither is it right to hold back for fear. We must proceed cautiously, and carry the public on the road to reform.

The uplift of society depends on the development of all the parts in it. Man’s progress depends on woman’s-and is a part of it. “The woman’s cause is man’s,” says the poet. They rise or fall together; whether they are to be god-like, or slaves, or free, they must go hand in hand. This is the central truth of the matter. Therefore let us educate our women as we educate our men. Let us light up their intelligence with knowledge; out of that will come nothing but good. For, in our modern complex social organization, only the educated can adjust themselves to their duties and obligations and ensure harmony.

"The foundation of every state is the education of its youth." - Diogenes.

"Education makes a people easy to lead but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave."

– Brougham.

Of course, to liberalize the mind by education has some consequences.

"If I were a Dictator of Education, I should reduce the time taken by lectures to a third of that taken at present, and make attendance in the library compulsory for three hours a day." – C.G. Robertson.

In a conservative society, these may create trouble. 

"Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education."

 – Flexner.

For liberal education creates a demand for rational thought which is fundamentally opposed to all narrowness, bigotry, and orthodoxy. Therefore conservative Indians look upon freedom for women with suspicion. Men demand political freedom, yet they like to be tyrants at home and are afraid when they see their masculine authority challenged by the creation of so many girl graduates. But a little thinking will show that the fault is not with education, but with ourselves.

"Education is a discipline for the adventure of life: research is an intellectual adventure, and the universities should be homes of adventure shared in common by young and old." – A. W. Whitehead.

Let us liberalize our conservative minds, and believe that freedom is nothing but good. Then when we see educated women trying to take their place in our social and political life, we shall not be sorry; rather we shall feel happy that it is so.