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Chapter 4

ANALYSIS AND CONCLUDING REMARKS

4.1 Analysis of the education of women in the pre-independent India of the 19th century

From 1882-1947, the progress of girls education was reported to be slow and steady, confined as it was
to the affluent sections of the society or those families which were in the favour of foreign rulers. Nevertheless,
starting from no education in the advent of the British rule i.e. 0% of the total enrolment of educational
institutions under the formal system, enrolment of women increased to nearly 25% of the total enrolment by the
end of the British regime (1947) and this, is in no way a mean achievement. Due credit should be given to the
foreign rulers at least for initiating the process of educational development of women as a part of the formal
education in India. The table below shows the progress of women education in the pre-independence era.

Years % of Primary Middle Secondary Universitie Other Total


literacy schools schools schools s &colleges Institutions
women
1981-1982 0.2 124491 ------ 2054 6 515 127066
1901-1902 0.7 345397 34386 10309 264 2812 393168
1921-1922 1.8 1198550 92466 36698 1529 11599 1340842
1946-1947 6.0 3475165 321508 280772 23207 56090 4156742
No. of girls 36 ------------- 22 for & 14 for 12 for 7 for -------------
enrolled middle secondary general professiona
per 100 schools schools collegiate l education
boys 1946- education
1947
Table no. 1 Education of girls and Women in pre-independent period

Highlights of the progress of womens education in the pre-independent period:-

1881-1902

As indicated in the quinquennial reports of education in India, the significant achievement during
1881-1902 in the field of womens education was the entry of women in colleges. For the first
time two Indian women graduated from college in the year 1883 and enrolment in womens
schools and colleges rose to 3.93 lakhs in 1882. Similarly people began to recognize the
importance of secondary education for women and social taboos of stopping girls education
maximum up to primary level began cracking under the weight of social amelioration. The
enrolment of girls in secondary schools during these two decades increased five times. Primary
education enrolment, of course expanded from 1.24 lakhs to 3.45 lakhs during this period. While
in 1882, only one girl out of 3 was studying in mixed school, the ratio went up, to one out of two
in 1902 bidding a farewell to the malice of age-old prejudice against co-education, at least in the
primary schools.

1902-1922

The two decades from 1902-22 witnessed a more active role of the government in the field of
womens education on one hand and impact of freedom struggle on womens education on the
other. It is during this period that Lord Curzon supported the cause of womens education and the
similar policy was enunciated by the Government Resolution on Education (1913). As is evident
from the above table the growth of womens education was noticed at all stages of education,
particularly of collegiate level and their passing out in examination with excellent result
exploded the myth of inferiority of women. However, the landmark in the History women

S education in India during this period was the establishment of an Indian Womens University in
1916 in Bombay known as Srimati Nathibai Damodar Tharkersey Womens University, catering
to the need of higher education of nearly 1- thousand girls and women every year. The following
table illustrates the record increase in technical and vocational schools in India:-

Schools for teaching No. of girls under instruction


Teaching 3903
Art 32
Medicine 334
Technical and Industrial Careers 2744
Commercial careers 308
Agriculture 79
Other careers 4199
Total number of Schools 11599
Table no. 2 Growth of technical and vocational schools

1922-1947

During this period, women's education got a further fillip, as a result of the rise in the marriage age of
women, and the awakening among women injected by Social Reformers and Mahatma Gandhi's
Movement and also by the establishment of the All India Women's Conference (1926). The significant
event of the period was the emphasis laid on women's education in the Report of the Hartog Committee
which stated that education should not be the privilege of one sex only, but equally the right of both the
sexes and that women's education would be expanded further for the advancement of education in India.
It is during this period that a visible progress of women's education was witnessed. The enrolment of
girls in primary schools moved up from nearly 12 lakhs in 1922 to nearly 35 lakhs in 1946-47 and
enrolment in secondary schools increased from about 37 thousands in 1921-22 to a record of 281
thousands. But the significant progress occurred in higher education where the enrolment of girls
increased from merely 1529. In 1921-22 to as high as 23,207, followed by improvement in the demand
for women in the employment market. In spite of all this expansion, the enrolment of girls was only 2.4
percent of their population. Table below indicates the position of girls education in 1946-47:-

Type of Institution No. of Institutions Enrolment in Institutions


for women
General Education Universities 1 ----------------
Arts and Science Colleges 59 7105
High Schools 586 182757
Middle Schools 1201 181113
Primary Schools 14336 1201817
Professional and Technical 4 297
Colleges
Training Colleges 11 660
Vocational and Other Schools 785 30843
Unrecognized Institutions 537 25229
Grand Total 17520 1629821
Table no. 3 Education of women, 1946-47

4.2 Analysis of the education of women in post-independent period in India

After independence, the constitution guarantee of equality changed the conceptual thinking of
educational development of women and thinking of educational development of women and gave a call to
women to play multiple roles in the polity, the economy and the society. The educational development of
women began in that direction This is amply evident in the government policy, reports of various committees
and commissions set up for this purpose and in the objectives of development plans formulated after
independence. The national policy of education provides that The Education of girls should receive emphasis
not only on grounds of social justice but also because it accelerates social transformation. The very First Five
Year Plan of Education stated "The general purpose and objective of Women's education cannot, of course, be
different from the purpose and objectives of the men's education .... At the Secondary and even at the University
stage women's education should have a vocational or occupational bias". Similarly, the Secondary Education
Commission (1953) reiterated that "In a democratic society where all citizens have to discharge their civic and
social obligations, differences which may lead to variations in the standard of intellectual development achieved
by boys and girls can be envisaged". The Report of the Committee on Differentiation of Curricula for boys and
girls (1959) also emphasized on the same type of education and same role of men and women in the society.
The Education Commission (1964-66) endorsed the recommendations of all committees and commissions about
the equality in the educational development of women. The Government's national policy also laid down that
"The education system must produce young men and women of character and ability committed to national
services and development. Only then will education be able to play its vital role in promoting national progress,
creating a sense of common citizenship and culture and strengthening national integration".

In spite of the constitutional provision of equality and the recommendations of the committees and
commissions about the provision for the same type of education for women as for men, the traditional limited
view point of women's education, with a separate role of women in the society has had a great influence on the
planning for women's education. Before, however, we review the accelerated growth and progress of women's
education and analyze the problems of their future development after independence, it will be interesting and
informative to trace very briefly the history of women's education during British regime. This historical
background will be helpful in properly under- standing the trends that have followed the achievements in the era
after independence in this field.

Chapter 5

CONCLUSION

In India, the increase in the educational facilities and opportunities for women and the removal of
traditional barriers on entry of women to particular branches and levels of education came to be supported by
the champions of women emancipation from the 19th century onwards. However, the Indian reformers of the
19th century wanted to educate women to perform their role as good wives and mothers and not to make them as
direct active participants in the process of national development of the country. The colonial authorities
generally supported this limited view point of womens education. The expansion of education and health
services in the 20th century however, precipitated a need for women teachers and doctors resulted in the
incorporation of these two vocations in the programme of womens education.

The slow but steady progress of women's education in the Pre-Independent period should be analyzed
after taking into account some of the socioeconomic factors such as prevalence of Purdah system and
segregation of women-folk, Child marriage, sati, subjugation after marriage and absence of Divorce System,
enforced asceticism for widows, system of Devadasis, Female enforced asceticism for widows, system of
Devadasis, femalecation of women. Nevertheless, the wheels of women's education were put on the right lines
during the British regime and the efforts of social and political reformers like Raja Rammohun Roy and
Mahatma Gandhi strengthened the movement of women's emancipation and consequently their educational
development,

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Tim Allender: Educational Feautures :Creating a female education space in colonial.

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society.

4. Madan Mohan Mandal, Dr. Santosh Kumar Behera: Raja Ram Mohan Roy as an Educational reformer:
An Evaluation.

5. Nidhi Srivastava: The progress of Indian women from 1900s to present.

6. Sunita Peacock: The Education of the Indian woman against the backdrop of the education of the
European woman in the nineteenth century.

7. Firoj High Sarwar: Christian Missionaries and female Education in Bengal during East India
Companys rule: a discourse between Christianized Colonial domination versus women Emancipation.

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9. Sanjeev Nayyar: Position of women in the Indian Civilization.

10. Sutapa Saryal: Womens rights in India : Problems and Prospects.

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12. Sarwar Firoj Jigh: Womens role in women education: a case study of 19th centurys Bengal.

13. Educational development of girls and women

14. Indian Journals.com

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