Girl Education

Despite all tall claims by the government and nagging by voluntary organizations, a vast majority of the girls are yet illiterate in India. During the last four decades since independence, much is being done to emancipate women. Education of girls is one of the basic features of the plan. Many schools and colleges are founded for girls.

Even co-education has received considerable support from the public, and although orthodox parents still view the system of co-education with suspicion, a large number of families send their daughters to co-educational institutions. Female education is, indeed, receiving a great impetus and the advance made by our country in this direction during the last decade or so is considerable.

It is being increasingly recognized that educated wives and mothers are an asset to a nation and that neither expense nor effort should be spared to make female education popular and even compulsory. Being educated, they are working in banks, private firms, hospitals and government offices.

Education has led to their economic independence and equality with menfolk. They have now an honoured position in society and have secured their rights from the reluctant men but all this is confined chiefly to the urban areas. In rural areas most of the people are still against girls' education.

So much needs to be done yet. An intensive propaganda is necessary to popularize female education not only in the towns and cities where its value is already fully recognized but in villages where the education of girls is still in its infancy. There are many villages where school for girl does not exist.

Every village must have a girl' schools, or if that is not possible owing to lack of funds, parents should be persuaded to admit their daughters to boys' schools thus promoting co-education.

Furthermore, the extreme poverty of the Indian masses makes it imperative that education for girls should be free up to the matriculation standard. If facilities for