Higher Education and Co-education Coeducation

CO-EDUCATION

Coeducation means the education of boys and girls in the same schools, colleges or universities. This is a modern concept and it has made a remarkable rapid progress. It was first introduced in Switzerland. Now it has become popular almost in the whole of Europe and the whole of America. The Eastern companies are also adopting this system gradually. In our country, opinions sharply differ on the issue of coeducation in colleges.

The supporters of coeducation favor it mainly on two grounds, one economical and the other sociological. In the first place, they say that co-education is an economical measure in a poor country like Pakistan. It is not possible to maintain separate colleges for boys and girls. In the second place, the social contacts between the members of the two sexes are useful in many respects. The supporters of co-education say that if boys and girls are educated together, they will develop in them a sort of mutual understanding. This understanding will be helpful in their future lives as men and women. Moreover, it creates a spirit of competition in studies. Both try their hardest to out-do each other. To conclude we may say that co-education is above objection in the professional colleges where the ultimate goal of all students is the same. However, in arts and science colleges where the two sexes are prepared for the normal routine of life, co-education is unnecessary.

Coeducation is not a bad idea either for boys or the girls. In fact it all depends upon the values of the region where one lives. If either a girl or a boy has been built up with strapping moral values this is not a big issue if he or she studies with the same gender or the other. But one's environment does affect one's moral values and manners. The coin always has two sides and so is the case with this aspect of education. Coeducation can either be good or bad.

It is good as it develops self confidence and self reliance to move in the society. Coeducation tells one how to deal with the other gender in the society from different aspects. This is something a kid seeks at home that how to give regard to others and how to keep all relations at their accurate places, but no doubt coeducation polishes the kid as he considers all sayings by his parents practically while dealing with others, especially if it is an opposite gender. But if we see the other side of the coin we find that coeducation often leads a kid to even devastating point of his moral and ethical values in certain situation. The modern world is advancing day by day and science has taken its advancement to the heights of the sky. Women share almost fifty percent of the world's population and that's why they are taking part in every walk of life. For this purpose they are bound to take education and educational institutions are not well enough in numbers to provide them higher education separately. Now we come to the question that what do you think about co-education that whether it is best or not for both boys and girls, it can be narrated like this. Co-education means mix up of boys and girls in the same place and in the same institution. Many people have different ideas about this but in my opinion co-education provides healthy competition between boys and girls. Both boys and girls become caring and well behaved in the mixed atmosphere and they learn many things from each other and are able to deal life practically in future. The environment and atmosphere of the institution becomes pleasant and healthy in co-education. Though there are some drawbacks also yet co-education is a better mode of education.