Inclusion of Girl Children in Education
Inclusion of girls in education implies making efforts to enable the girls to keep pace with boys and to view education in the perspective of equality. It focuses on addressing exclusion of girls from the school.
Late Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru rightly stressed on the education of women by saying “Education of boy is the education of one person but education of girl is the education of the entire family”.
The University Education Commission 1948-49 also remarked in view of the importance of education of women- “There can’t be an educated people without education of women. If general education had to be limited to men or to women, then opportunity should be given to women, for by them it would more surely be passed to the next generation”.
Again Kothari Commission 1964-66 stated, “For full development of human resources, the improvement of human beings and for moulding the character of children during the most impressionable years of infancy the education of women is of great importance than that of men”.
Thus, the programme or policies implemented in India before and after independence laid stress on girls education. Moreover, the constitution too guarantees special educational measure to the women. The Article-15(1) provides that the state shall not discriminate any citizen of ground only of sex. This article provides special importance on the education of the women. Moreover, under Article-15(3) the state can make special provision for education of women and children.
Inclusion of Girl Children to Education- Meaning
Inclusion of girl children to education means-
1. Minimising the sex stereotyping in education.
2. A challenge to address gender discrimination in education.
3. Providing measures to address economic, academic, social dimensions that lead to exclusion.
4. Accessing educational opportunity equally.’
5. Meeting the goals of constitutional objectives frames for education of girls.
Measures to make Inclusion of Girls in Education
Following measures or interventions make inclusion of girls in education possible-
a. Provision of transport for the girls children.
b. Social escorts for the girls children.
c. Special counselling programme that negotiate domestic work burdens of the girls.
d. Provisions of gender training programmes for the teacher for making classroom practices more gender sensitive.
e. Setting up of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in adequate members in the area where female literacy in below the national average.
f. Provision of gender sensitive curriculum, classroom pedagogy and life skills in the educational programme.
g. Setting up of residential schools for girls with all types of facilities.
h. Recruitment of more number of women teachers in the school.
i. Sensitisation of the teacher training by gender concern.
j. Encouragement of the participation of the parents specially the mother parents in the school.
k. Provision of management system which report on practice of gender based discrimination in the schools.
l. Forming of forums of female teachers.
m. Provision of reservation for girls in education.
n. Establishment and appointment of inclusion of women in school monitoring committee.
o. Involvement of experienced organisation with a strong gender orientation in the school.
