1. Abstract
Status of Equitable School Education in India: Emerging Barriers and
opportunities in achieving gender equality
Education is part of a social transformation process involving men, women, boys and girls
towards developing a more gender just society. Education can empower women to
overcome forms of gender discrimination so they can make more informed choices about
their lives. Such empowerment benefits women but also benefits the living conditions of
their children and strengthens society (UNESCO, 2014). This is one of the reasons that
for more than half a century, nations have recognized education as a fundamental human
right. To fulfil this right, a historic step was taken in 2000 by global players, where
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) acknowledged education as an indispensable
means for people to realize their capabilities, hence prioritized the completion of a primary
school cycle as a critical goal to be achieved by 2015. Most nations including India made
impressive progress under MDGs though showcasing newer kind of challenges in terms
of transition and retention rate, poor skills and competencies in children, etc at regional
levels. Considering this, new Sustainable Development Goals1, adopted by nations in
2015, reemphasised on education as a critical milestone where all children complete a
basic education cycle including quality pre-primary education, acquiring knowledge, skills
and competencies for work, experiencing good quality teaching and inclusive classroom
practices; and accessing educational opportunities based on equity, flexibility and
adaptability (SDG, 2015). This goal recognises that access to quality preschool education
has greater impact on achievement and attainment of children in primary school and
beyond. Further, it values that access to more years of schooling will have greater impact
on next generations and more on girls’ empowerment. This means that educated
women/girls will have greater voice, more confidence and ability to make choices
(marriage, birth of first child, etc)2.
In this context, it becomes imperative to understand the situation and progress made in
the area of school and secondary education by India. Therefore, the proposed paper aims
to present status of school and secondary education especially focussing on girls’
participation. The paper focuses on equitable access of education that is defined in terms
of equal enrolment and participation at school and secondary education level by both girls
and boys and identifying regional disparities. Finally, it will analyse level of school where
girls face barriers while accessing education and its implication.
Key words: School Education, Gender, Sustainable Development Goal, India
Geeta Verma
geetajnu@gmail.com;gverma@careindia.org
1 Post 2015 and MDGs, Sustainable Development Goals have been adopted by all nations.It sets the target that all
gorals to be achieved by 2030 by all nations but these targets are not legal in nature. SDGs has seventeen goals,out
of which goal 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for
all; and goal 5- Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls is relevant for developing countries like
India.
2 SDG- goal 5