Importance of Education for Women in India 

Education plays a critical role in the development of a nation whether it is social or economic growth. A nation can be educated in the real sense of the term, when its entire population is educated. Over the years, India’s literacy rate has improved manifold from 12% in 1947 to 74.4% in 2011. Even though, the literacy rate is still below the average of 84% around the world. As per 2011 census report, out of 77,84,54,120 individuals who are considered literate in India, 44,42,03,762 of them are male and 33,42,50,358 are female. If you look at the percentage of educated people, there is a huge gap between male (82.14%, in 2011) and female (65.46%, in 2011) literacy rates in India. Low women literacy rate has a huge negative impact on the overall growth and development of the society - where women are majorly responsible for child care and development. As per research results, it is proved that children who are taken care by educated mom are well-nourished and have all-rounded development. Though slow, in the last decade (2001-2011) the gender gap is seen to be narrowing rapidly - women literacy rate has been growing at 11.8% and men at 6.9%.

• Why Education is Indispensable for Women?

As per a UN report, education for women is the single most effective way to improve lives and health of a family and a society at large. A woman with education is a powerful person, she has the power to educate the children in her family, guide them in taking decisions, contribute economically and offer valuable inputs for improvement on home and social front. Women constitute almost half of a country’s population, when 50% of the population is denied education - a nation remains underdeveloped. Empowered women contribute to the development of the society, community and nation in numerous ways.

Education is the most important power that shape the lives of mankind. It empowers with the ability to think, reason, take appropriate decisions and protect oneself from oppression & abuse. However, in most of the developing world around the globe including India, women are often denied of education opportunities. Even though, women constitute 48% of the total population in India – the women literacy rate in urban area is 79.11% as against 88.76% males, and the figures are even lower in the rural scenario where 57.93% women are literate as against 77.15% literate males. In 2014, India GDP growth ranges between 4.6% - 5.3% (1st – 3rd Quarter) and this growth percentage can be drastically improved if women are educated and starts contributing equally economically.

• Benefits of Women Education

There are numerous benefits of women education. Here are few of them:

Women who are educated are able to take charge of their future

They earn and contribute to their family income

Women who are educated help reduce child and maternal mortality

Educated women are better equipped to take care of their children

They are less likely to be taken advantage of and lowers exposure to domestic abuse

Have great confidence and takes right decisions

Contributes in a positive way to the society and the nation at large

When women are included in key decision-making positions, they take holistic decisions for the development of the society

Including women in politics tend to have different growth dimensions

Conclusion

‘Educating a boy is educating a person…Educating a girl is educating a nation’, this statement is 100% true. Many surveys and studies worldwide have demonstrated that educating women is the single most profitable investment in terms of well-being of children health, community welfare and building long-term success of developing countries. Education opens a whole new world of opportunities for a girl, it gives her the confidence to tackle different problems of life, become economically independent, make better choices, resolve family or community issues satisfactorily, stand for her rights and guide her children. Over the years, the literacy rate among Indian women has increased and as per an article in one of India’s leading newspapers - women enrollment for higher studies have increased from 10% (during Independence) to 41.5% in 2011. Indian government has launched a number of programmes to encourage primary, secondary and higher education for women. However, the progress is albeit slow but moving steadily. 

The journey to become a successful nation, begins with Universal Education for Women. India can reach its true potential as a nation only when its women population are equipped with the power of education.

Sarla Thakral (1914–15 March 2009)- was the first Indian woman to fly an aircraft.[1][2][3] Born in 1914, she earned an aviation pilot license in 1936 at the age of 21 and flew a Gypsy Moth solo. She had a four-year-old daughter. After obtaining the initial licence, she persevered on and completed one thousand hours of flying in the aircraft owned by the Lahore Flying Club. Her husband P. D. Sharma whom she married at 16 and comes from a family which had 9 pilots encouraged her to achieve it. She was the first Indian to get airmail pilot’s licence and flew between Karachi and Lahore.[4]

Sarla Thakral 

While she was working towards the commercial pilot license in 1939, World War II broke out and civil training was suspended. Later her husband died in a crash. She abandoned her plans to become a commercial pilot, returned to Lahore and joined the Mayo School of Art where she trained in the Bengal school of painting and obtained a diploma in fine arts. She was also a dedicated follower of the Arya Samaj.[5]


After the Partition she moved to Delhi with her two daughters where she met her second husband P. P. Thakral and married him in 1948. Sarla, also known as Mati, became a successful businesswoman, painter and began designing clothes and costume jewellery.[6] She died in 2009.[7]

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