Education as a means to women's empowerment

Education as a means to women's empowerment demand: education $\neq$ empowerment? Not: "girls need education" "Where the mind is w/o fear and the head is held high" Edu giver $\rightarrow$ econ. Indepen, autonomy, awareness Not giver $\rightarrow$ control of household, mobility, complete freedom of choice defining - educ$^n$ $\leftarrow$ Schooling, awareness, skills empowerment $\rightarrow$ social freedom $\rightarrow$ from discrimination & bad practice, Economic option, Political Particip$^n$, Personal autonomy, self esteem, sovereignty Conjunction of educ$^n$ & empwnt home schooling care $\left\{\begin{array}{l}\text{make aware}\\\text{but also limit their beliefs}\end{array}\right.$ Social benefits may not be utilized/protected well. $\rightarrow$ an uneducated girl cannot occupy higher posts $\rightarrow$ Illiterate women, is highly dependent on literate partners to get their benefits On in religious schools with strict rules for girls Schools & colleges need proactive infra, to educate girl, not only lectures transport, Hostels, Medicals, Sanitati Education X Empowerment India's investment in Education may not directly translate to empowerment but is "Where the mind is without fear, and the head is held high, where knowledge is free.." - Rabindranath Tagore In this excerpt from the famous poem "where the mind is without fear", Rabindranath Tagore has expressed his dream of India becoming a free country, a country free from illiteracy, social evils, discriminations and bad habits. And though Tagore left this world many years ago, the country is still struggling to realise the true freedom of citizens of India.

Especially that of women, who had rough experience in India post Vedic Era in India. India has invested a lot towards the education of girls and though it has not directly translated into women empowerment, it has worked toward schemes directly empowering the womens of India. A women in India may be literate, but lacks the control over her income, mobility, household decisions and political choice. Education in India, is largely confined with schooling, awareness and skills training, which makes an adult woman capable enough to walk independently throughout their life. But if we witness the reality, than much of productive woman fail to appear at their eligible positions, even after possessing certificates and trophies on their identity. Education in such scenario, becomes a burden on the child in both financial & emotional level. Financial, for the sacrifices made by the guardians and emotional weight for unable to utilise her capacity. Many girls complete their schools & colleges successfully, but that does not merely defines success of life; if the position of responsibility they hold after they leave the academy. Empowerment is thus defined by various factors a woman continues to lead her life without the school bag. The social freedom from bad practices and discriminations that hold back any Capable woman. The availability of economic options to earn their livings. The political participation, by choosing what's right for the community and having votes in real matters. The personal autonomy to be independent, for choosing partners, mobility and, residence, & beliefs, protecting self-esteem and sovereignty. All these accounts for the true empowerment of a women at any place. Savitribai Phule in the 19th century was India's first female teacher, who alongside her husband Jyotirao Phule, opened first school for girls in Pune in 1848. They established shelters for widows, and fought against social evils like caste and gender discrimination. The revolutionary couple has huge success in their endeavour for their on ground experiences and portraying his wife as an inspiration for other young girls. Through their story one may assume that the empowerment mission was supported by an educated woman. at the forefront, helping Jyotirao protect and educate girls. It would be difficult for Jyotirao to demand others to educate their girls while confining his to do household chores. In the later period, Annie Besant and Sarojini Naidu led the torchlight of what is possible for an educated women can accomplish in this world. They helped in the freedom struggle of India through their literacy and endurance, and were an asset to the nation. But the same story does not follow to other girls, for they don't get lucky with their starting points. Financial status, societal discrimination, and availability of schools were not same for all girls in India. Education is not dependent on the school fees alone, but also the environment around the girl to accept and absorb the education. The social costs includes the price of leaving home, travelling safely to schools, taking care of sanitations and health, all adds upto to cost of educating a girl which is not covered. This typical cost in a education schemes released by government. This creates an space for home schooling & religious schools where the girl maynot expand her beliefs beyonds the borders of their family and cultural knowledge. In this scenario, the girl is getting education but not the freedom.

Kiran Vedi remains a strong example of first women IPS, and present President Srimati Droupadi Murmu as first tribal woman President of India. If the education and empowerment schemes were not established in past, we wouldnot have experienced women in such positions now. Further, India cannot fully utilise its demographic dividend if half of the population are kept inside households. Education has helped improving the sectors like maternal health, child nutrition, sanitation, family planning and immunisation, by being a part of subject and support group together. The self-help groups, asha workers, and anganwadi didi, helped spreading the growth story to every corners of the state. This creates an important multigenerational multiplier and thus women's education is simultaneously a social investment but an economic investment.