Women Education Condition in Rajasthan after Independence 1950-2000

INTRODUCTION

In the State of Rajasthan, majority of people earn their living by agriculture and raise animals. There were pointed differences in terms of terrain, modes of livelihood, social structure and diverse patterns of settlement. Industrial and manufacturing sectors do not have significant presence. Therefore, to ensure that education is universalized and available to all the part of society is all the more important. The main challenge in the State of Rajasthan confronting the formation of strategies for spread of education is the inclusion of girl child in its fold. Considerable reforms are required for the spread of education to the needful and marginalized groups of the society especially girls, dalits, migrants and nomadic so that they can access the infrastructure created for education in Rajasthan. Going back in to the history the reasons responsible for lower female education in Rajasthan are found to be - social discrimination, gender based inequality, cultural and religious differences, involvement of girls in household work, low level of admission of girls to schools, etc. Education of girls is not seen as an advantage to the family as they are to migrate to other family after marriage whereas male child is seen as a support to the parents in their olden days. The other predominant factor for not educating girl child is that their role is considered to be only reproductive and in rural areas for working in the fields as an agricultural labourer requiring no formal education. School timings are inflexible to the labour demand on young girls, schools are not conveniently located, almost 10% of the villages do not have primary schools, 15% do not have a middle school, and there are no female teachers. The ratio of female teachers in primary and middle schools is less than one third. Although some of the Government Programmes exist to cover cost of text books, learning material, uniforms to poor girls, these programmes are not suitably administered and do not cover the areas where literacy rate of girl children is extremely low and calls for sensitive strategies.

About Sati Pratha was that the husband and wife are two bodies but one soul and thus if husband is dead it results in the death of a wife, it brings fame to her faithfulness and loyalty. In Rajasthan, in the matter of education, there is biasness between girls and boys. In a patriarchal society, parents give prime importance to the education of sons and compel them to continue their education at any coast. But girls are often denied such an opportunity. Percentage of child marriages was

Traditionally Stridhan- given to a girl at the time of marriage is as per predictable norms a pre-mortem inheritance. Due to illiteracy generally it is taken away by force. Dowry became a device for disinheriting daughters from the parental property and started pushing them towards the darkness of illiteracy and has become a social permanent menace. Rajasthan is one of a State where trafficking of women and girls is done for commercial sexual exploitation along with Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Out of 32 districts in Rajasthan, 27 districts (Alwar, Tonk, Dholpur, Sawaimadhopur, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Pali, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jalore, Jodhpur, Hanumangarh, Dausa, Dungarpur, Bhilwara, Barmer, Rajsmand, Ajmer, Jhalawar, Nagaur, Banswara, Baran, Shriganganagar, Sirohi, Jaisalmer and Sikar) are infested with some or other form of prostitution. The major districts involved are Alwar, Tonk, Dhaulpur, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Bundi, Jhalaar and Sawaimadhopur. In the western districts of the State of Rajasthan, i.e. Sikar, Nagaur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Churu, Jhunjhunun, Bikaner, Hanumngarh and Ganganagar, women belonging to various castes such as Navak, Od, Baori, Damami, Sikhlinagar and Mazhabi are involved in prostitution individually or in its unorganised form (Trafficking in India Report, 2004).

Pandey, Balaji, (1987) the paper aims to assess the issues affecting the progress of women‘s education after independence when the planned development initiatives were launched in the country. Some important points discussed in the paper in relation to women education are- The present education given to the women is irrelevant to their life they lead, thus making it a total waste. As the curriculum is based on the needs of the men, is not fit for the women to cope with their daily problems of life. Das (1991) studied about ‗The problems of enrolling women in adult education centres in Jaipur Sub-Division under NAEP at Utkal University‘. The conclusion of the study was the 85% of women belonging to Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes as well as women of the families which are below poverty line are discouraged for education due to various reasons like casteism, untouchability, conservative attitude of the society as well as their own psychological barriers and a sense of inferiority. And 60% of the centers were too traditional in terms of teaching aids and were using the same age old chalk and talk method. the uneducated parents do not motivate the girls for education, the educated and uneducated parents have different outlook towards equality of educational facilities for boys and girls.

1. To know about socio- economic condition of women in Rajasthan 2. To study the issues of women discrimination in Rajasthan 3. To locate literacy of women in Rajasthan

Methodology is a planning or a scheme which is needed in each and every sphere of life. When we start research, there is need to use systematic procedures and methods to collect the information. This study is based on secondary data and descriptive research. The secondary data has been collected from government reports, books, journals etc.

Rajasthan is facing lot of problems for girls in the area of educational access, their registration and achievement in primary education. These major problems were- availability of schools in the rural areas which are non-functional, absenteeism of teachers, lack of female teachers, poor quality of education, poor infrastructure, distance between the village and the school, poor quality of education and single teacher schools. The financial status of the family, in the low economic status family‘s dropout is highest rate as compared to the lowest rate in the rich families. Due to various social, religious and cultural prohibitions girls in Rajasthan was needy of education. To focus on the factors responsible for the disadvantaged of education for the girls like gender discrimination sati, child marriages, dowry, widowhood, female infanticide and foeticide etc.

Das, N. (1991) ―The problems of enrolling women in adult education centers in Jaipur Sub-Division under NAEP at Utkal University‖ Devekar, Santosh and Mahesh, (2012) ―Higher Education System in India: Basic Problems and Challenges‖, International Educational Journal, Vol. I, Issue II. Kakati, Kunja Kusum,(1995) ―The Education of Women and Social Change- A Case Study in two Villages of Barpeta District‖ Pandey, B. (1987) ―Post-Independence Educational Development among Women in India‖, Paper presented in the Seminar on ‗Women in Changing Society‘ at the Centre for Women‘s Development Studies, University of Hyderabad. Trafficking in India Report (2004) The Hindu (1998) ―Woman for Sale in South Rajasthan‖, December, http://www.rajasthan.gov.in http://www.education.unesco.org/uie

M.A. (History), NET