By Iliyas Ali
B.A 5th Semester
Al Ameen Arts, Science and Commerce College,
Education is a fundamental right of every individual irrespective of gender, caste, creed, race or religion. According to the teachings of Islam, education is very important. The first revealed word of the Quran commanded the believers to “Read”. This command did not distinguish between male and female believers. In Hinduism, women in ancient India had free access to education, even some hymns of the Rigveda were composed by poetesses. This shows the importance of girls education besides boys.
However, contemporary Indian girls either drop from school or do not let them study. In present time where illiterate person metaphor with blinds and still girls are deprived of their right to education. This inkling that our society is nevertheless in a male-dominated society. According to the Annual Status of Education Report(ASER) in 2006, 10.3% of girl drop out of school, in 2019 it fell to 4.1%.Despite diminishing the rate overall India, a small state in Northeast India so-called Manipur is drastically increasing every year. According to the Census and Economic Information Centre(CEIC), the rate of girl dropout from school in Manipur in 2005 was 39.090%, in 2010 it was 44.790% and in 2011 it is 70.250%. It’s rapidly growing in every following year. Let’s see some of the prominent factors which lead girls to drop out from school. Firstly, perhaps it shall not be unfair to say, parents often gives more attention and significant to boy as compared to girl. Most parents believe, my daughter will go to her bridegroom house someday and my son is the one who is going to look after and take care of us when we get ages. This perspective make them to feel of glimpse and ask their daughter to quit her schooling. When a baby girl is born to a family, her parents start accumulating dowry at her young age rather than supporting her dreams and aspirations. This is also another culture which is prevailing more often. Secondly, restriction to go out and pursue education. It happened in some conservative family where girls are denied to go out or work as they believe girls should dwell in the four walls of her house. Because of such standpoint and principles most girl could not continue their further studies. Some parents think that no matter how much she is educated, her ultimate destination is only at Kitchen, taking care of children and maintaining household chores etc. Such hyperbolic thought of parents deprived her dreams and aspirations.
Thirdly, child marriage: As we all know that child marriage has abolished in India under “The Child Marriage Restraint Act,1929″. Yet, many girls are getting married at their young ages. The time when a girl is supposed to plays with her friends and fulfil her ambitions, parents give their daughters hand to someone unknown to a girl and end up her childhood preference. Elope is also another cause of dropping out of school which is very prominent nowadays. Fourthly, poverty and illiterate parents: When an illiterate parent does not know the importance of girl education, make their daughters help in agricultural work and household chores and never shows the vision of education. Unfortunately, parents drastically wanted their daughters to pursue education but as of financial problems, they can not fulfill the dreams and end up hardly at the primary school. Importance Brigham Young, a great American politician rightly said: “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation”. The first and foremost teacher of a child is the mother. A child imitates and learns every action of the mother in her lap. That’s the reason why Napoleon Bonaparte,a famous French military leader said: “ Give me a good mother. I shall give you a great nation”. So, it is very necessary to educate girl as they are future nation makers. A girl needs to educate as they could come out from many obligations which suppress them from raising their voices, right and domestic pandemonium to them.
They should also educate to take part in politics, get work in the private and public sector. A girl should not feel inferiority complex in any field. It is high time for every parent to educate a girl child and also to knows the importance of girl education. Education is the only possibility where a society can bring equality among boys andgirls. Let’s not assume, giving birth to a girl child is a sin, rather an opportunity/blessing for you to change the world. There is also a said: “When a man is educated, only an individual is educated and a woman is educated, an entire family is educated”.
