- Education is a cornerstone of society growth, and addressing gender-related issues within it is critical to advancement.
- While the ASER 2023 data on learning outcomes may show gender fairness, a closer analysis reveals ongoing gender prejudice.
Gender Equity and Learning Outcomes Parity
- Gender Equity in Learning: An examination of learning outcomes, such as test scores, reveals equality between boys and girls in primary and secondary schools throughout India.
- For example, in Classes 3 and 5, girls and boys score evenly in mathematics, with 63 and 53, respectively.
- topic scores: Gender discrepancies in topic scores are rarely more than one percentage point.
Widening Gender Gap
- Increased Education: Girls in India are getting more education than ever before, with the average number of years in school nearly tripling from 1.7 in 1990 to 4.7 in 2018.
- Boys’ Progress: Boys’ educational attainment has also improved, rising from 4.1 to 8.2 years on average.
- Growing Gender Gap: Despite girls’ tremendous progress in education, the gender gap, defined as the difference in attainment between males and females, has expanded from 2.4 to 3.5 years.
- Global Trends: India’s departure from global trends is remarkable, as many countries have witnessed equal progress in schooling for both genders.
Barriers to education
- Progressive Gender Gap: As education levels rise, girls face more severe impediments, impacted by societal norms, stereotypes, and adolescent-related problems.
- Dropout rates change drastically from Class 1 to Class 8, with roughly twice as many girls dropping out by Class 8 as boys.
Early Childhood Education (ECE)
- Gender Bias in Early Childhood Education: Gender inequality begins in the early stages of education, according to the Annual Status of Education Report “Early Years.”
- Private vs. Government schools: More boys are enrolled in private institutions, while girls are frequently sent to free government schools, demonstrating cultural biases.
- Age Correlation: At the age of four, there is a five-percentage-point gender difference in enrollment, which increases to eight points by age eight.
- Gender Norms Have an Impact: Societies that value male children’s education are more likely to exclude girls from school.
Concentrate on ECE
- Policy Shift Required: Addressing the gender gap in education necessitates a move towards Early Childhood Education (ECE), which addresses the underlying causes of gender norms.
- Children aged three to seven are very impressionable and develop biases regarding gender roles throughout this time.
- Challenges in India include insufficient finance, low quality, and the lack of law ensuring universal ECE access.
- Investment Returns: Longitudinal studies show that every dollar invested in ECE generates significant returns, demonstrating its cost effectiveness.
- Government Initiatives: Programmes such as “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” and the Draft National Education Policy highlight the relevance of ECE.
@the end
- The gender disparity in education, particularly in the early years, demands prompt attention and action. Establishing a legal framework, enough funding, and quality requirements for ECE are critical.
- By eliminating gender preconceptions in preschools, we can help to close the gender gap in education.
- The advantages of investing in girls’ education are numerous, ranging from reduced poverty and crime to increased economic development.
- It is essential to prioritise early childhood education in order to create a better and more equal future for all.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-020-0459-7