Gender Equity in Education and Need to Focus on Early Childhood Education

Source: This post has been created based on the article “Gender equity in education: the need to focus on early childhood education” published in “The Hindu” on 24^th January 2024.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 Social Justice – Issues relating to Education.

Gender Equity in Education and Need to Focus on Early Childhood Education, The article discusses the status of gender equity in education in India. It also suggests steps to tackle the various issues.

Background:

The 2023 Annual Status of Education Report shows that while girls and boys from rural India equally aspire to become doctors or engineers, when it comes to choosing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses, it is boys who take up STEM courses more than girls.

Current Status of Gender Equity in Education in India

1. Gender Equity in Learning Outcomes: National Achievement Survey (2017) shows parity in learning levels between boys and girls in elementary and secondary classes across the country.

2. Gender Gap in Mean Years of Schooling: Over the past two decades, the mean years of schooling for girls has almost tripled from just 1.7 years in 1990 to 4.7 in 2018, while for males from 4.1 to 8.2 years. The gender gap has increased from 2.4 years to 3.5 years.

3. Widening Gender Gap with Level of Education: Girls have higher dropout rates compared to boys as the level of education increases. This is due to greater barriers to schooling for girls due to social norms and gender stereotypes correlated with female adolescence.

4. Gender Gap in Enrolment in Private Schools: More boys than girls tend to be enrolled in private institutions. Girls’ enrolment is free government schools highlights societal gender biases in exercising school choice.

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What Should be The Way Forward?

Focus on early childhood education (ECE): Focus should be shifted to early childhood education (ECE) where the roots of the gender gap in education lie. This is because gender norms, biases and stereotypes are ingrained in early childhood.

Addressing Structural Challenges: The lack of a regulatory framework, inadequate funding, poor quality and no legislation for universal access to early childhood education must be addressed urgently.

Eliminating Gender Stereotypes: Early childhood education should also focus on imparting education that eliminates gender stereotypes and helps erase the gender gap.

Government Schemes: Schemes such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and the new National Education Policy places importance on ECE and hence, should be implemented at the earliest in mission mode.

There are positive social externalities and intergenerational benefits to girls’ education. It leads to a virtuous cycle of reduced poverty, infant mortality, crime and improved economic development. Hence, it must be given attention.

Question for practice:

Women’s education is important for society to flourish. However, it faces several challenges in the Indian context. Discuss.