Importance Of Educating Girl Child

In most parts of India, even in the 21st century having the right of education is just a far-fetched dream for many young girls and women

Education is the most powerful weapon, as it plays a pivotal role in developing the society and a nation’s economy too. If someone asks me how you can make your life successful , luxurious and happier, then absolutely my answer will be “Education” as it is the only way by which we can make ourselves independent, knowledgeable which  helps one to make thoughtful decisions and most importantly we can lead our life in a well mannered and disciplined way. 

India is a developing country, however when one goes through the pages of a newspaper every morning, and reads various news of gender-based violence, poverty, harassment, rape, abuse, child marriage, one is forced to ask oneself, “Is our country getting developed and becoming modern with time?” 

GIRLS FACING CHALLENGES IN GETTING EDUCATION AND EQUAL RIGHTS IN THE SOCIETY :

In the present time, there are many parts of India, where young girls and women are not allowed to come out of their house and get proper education or can opt for a job by stepping outside of their patriarchal household. In most parts of India, even in the 21st century having the right of education is just a far-fetched dream for many young girls and women.

Most of the problems faced by girl child are :

Gender Discrimination in India : In our country girls face gender discrimination in every field of their life. When we say the word “inequality” mostly it means unequal opportunities for girls; compared to boys because girls are mostly encouraged and also get advised to learn household chores and drop out of their school at an early age and get them married. 

Poverty: Poverty is another obstacle on the ways of getting educated; especially for girls. Poverty and gender-based preference are the main challenges which affect girl child education. In most parts of India, mostly when a girl child takes birth and begins to grow up, her parents make her realise that nothing but a good marriage is a woman’s only way to succeed in the society. According to a UN report, every year more than 1.5 million girls in India are married before they turn 18. Due to poverty, many parents have this notion that a girl is synonymous to “burden”, therefore they try to get rid of this burden by getting her married as soon as they find a man who is willing to take her responsibility.

Besides, narrow mentality, patriarchal household,male-dominance are some of the contributing factors of girls having no right to education. On top of that, even if a girl gets the permission to continue her studies, they face another sets of problems, which includes lack of teachers in school, poor infrastructure and learning facilities, and last but not least girls have to walk for miles to reach their school. All these factors play a significant role in resisting a girl from getting proper education. 

CONCLUSION : 

Even in today’s modern time girls still face more problems than boys; in general. Their path to success includes challenges in every step, hardship and struggle which begins right from their struggle to get proper education. Unless we ensure every girl child gets their right to education, we as a nation will not be able to prosper as girls’ education strengthens a country’s economies as well as reduces inequality. Both individuals and countries benefit from girls’ education. Better educated women tend to be more informed about nutrition and healthcare, have fewer children, marry at a later age, and their children are usually healthier. Therefore, in order to build a better tomorrow, we must start educating our girls. 

“educating a girl in present can be a miracle in future”

• Shyma Mansur