Inclusive lessons (TH Ed)

 Inclusive lessons (TH Ed)

Context

Educational under-representation & low political participation of disadvantaged Indian Muslim women

Divisions

Author states that if we have to achieve equality amongst Muslims we need to take into account the actual divisions that exist b/w Muslim men & women and upper-class (Ashraf) and other (Ajlaf) Muslims

Facts

As per 2011 census,

• 48.1% of Muslim women were illiterate
• Only 2.07% were graduates

How can the disadvantaged Muslim women be uplifted?

There are two ways of doing so,

1. Education in schools: Education in mainstream schools is limited to privileged Ashraf women only. Moreover, as highlighted by the Sachar Committee Report, lack of resources, discriminatory attitudes in schools, and the declining faith in the public schooling system have left Ajlaf women excluded from the mainstream. Such issues have brought girls closer to locally available, niche schooling options like nearby madrasas that are limited to a religious curriculum.
2. Economic development

Hybrid schools

One of such niche schooling options that has come up in less privileged Islamic society are the Private Islamic hybrid schools which not only provide education in the traditional value-oriented adab (discipline) literature but also follow CBSE curriculum

How these hybrid schools are helping in mainstreaming of disadvantaged Muslim women?

The entry of girls into these schools is a bold step towards mainstreaming

• Research suggests that graduates from these schools are opting for higher education in central universities like JamiaMilliaIslamia. Education policy must account for such community efforts
• In Bihar alone, there are around 50 State-recognised girls’ hybrid schools

What more can be done?

Bridge courses: To address the curriculum gap left by hybrid schools, universities could start bridge courses for such students, such as that offered by Aligarh Muslim University, thus offering a much-needed inclusiveness

Political representation

The representation of Muslim women has been abysmal across political institutions

• Facts: The Lok Sabha has had only 13 Muslim women MPs since Independence. There has been only one Muslim woman in the Union Council of Ministers in the last 25 years

How can this whole poor political representation scenario be changed?

• Setting achievable targets: To improve this situation, policy measures should aim at setting achievable goals for Muslim women and their improved presence in deliberative bodies like the National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Minorities
• Implement ‘National Plan of Action for Advancement of Muslim Women’s Education in India’: The government commissioned a study in 2007 with an aim to frame a ‘National Plan of Action for Advancement of Muslim Women’s Education in India’. A decade on, it is yet to see the light of the day. It should be implemented with full effect
• Parliamentary laws on the lines of the now lapsed 110th and 112th Constitution Amendment Bills, 2009, which sought to reserve half the seats in rural and urban local bodies for women, should be brought up