By Dr John Mohammad, NAK
Srinagar : Woman is the name of feminine gender of the man. But in real sense, she is the kind mother of humanity; When God has gifted her respectable status as per Quran, why should any individual or any society deny maintaining her position by keeping her illiterate.
If one turns the pages of history you will see all messengers, leaders, saints and philosophers pleading the case of literacy and education of the fair gender. Every supper human has aspired for being born by an educated mother.
Obviously responsibility comes to the shoulders of present world and we must make joint efforts to fight against such forces, which oppose the education of women. If we educate the girl we will find all sisters and mothers literate.
This is not the desire of past thinkers only but the present world is not going to bear an illiterate better half. Nobody from the society can deny the fact that there are numberless illiterate sisters in our surrounding society.
Watching and waiting for a match till they complete the moments of their lives. Should this society dare to see a daughter waiting for a “dolly” till she is lifted in coffin? When a man is not ready to accept an illiterate companion, why should he not make all efforts to bring an educational revolution among the female gender, no doubt man can play a great role in educating women being the stronger gender but the role of women is not negligible.
In the modern world women can achieve education from a number of sources in addition to the adult education system we can achieve education from T.V, computer, cinema, radio, newspapers and other medias. Women must have curiosity to get more and more education and information from all available sources. This is the only way she can compete in the society and fight for her due rights.
Women must be all careful to educate their daughter besides educating their sons. There should be no discrimination in educating the children on the basis of gender. Equality in love should be exhibited by equality in education. This is the sweet desire of God and Islam.
Empowerment of women through education was emphasized in the national policy on education-1986 New Policy on Education-1986 emphasizes on the removal of disparities and equalization of educational opportunities by attending the special need of those who have been denied equality so far. Education for equality according to NPE-1986 covers the following:
1. Education for women’s equality. 2. The education of scheduled castes. 3. The education of scheduled tribes. 4. Other educationally backward sections and areas. a) Minorities b) The handicapped c) Adult education.
Recently the honourable Prime minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh has decided that the eleventh five-year plan will be emphasized on education, he said, that priority would be given to education. It will be the great opportunity for us to develop literacy rate of men as well as women.
Women should be educated well but, it should not be misused by the people because she is the kind mother of humanity who suffers the pain, she should be respected and should be treated as mother sister and daughter but not a show piece of colourful stage in cultural programs. I honour comment of honourable Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Muzaffar Hussain Baig as he said “Don’t make girls dance on stage” upset over a Kashmiri girl dancing in a cultural program in Gulmarg Baig advocated restricting girls from dancing on the stage in and outside Jammu and Kashmir.
Irked over a girl dancing during a cultural show at Gulmarg club Baig could not resist his anger and said “the girl was dancing to the songs of noted Kashmiri poet Shamas fakir I really felt shocked and disappointed. I don’t want our girls should be used as a source of entertainment. They are taken outside the state for cultural shows our religion and culture does not permit these things this practice must stop immediately.”
Quoting history Baig said once Maharaja of Patiala passed indecent comments on a Kashmiri Girl artist ” when Maharaja Hari Singh learnt about it, he not only rebuked the Maharaja of Patiala but banned him from entering the Valley. If Maharaja Hari Singh could respect the women why can’t we? Mr. Baig also said “the girls must imbibe the virtue and character of Hazrat Fatima (RA) in them and they should not be discriminated against in any sphere of life.” According to Islamic history in early ages the Muslim woman of Arabia was permitted equal instruction with men the social position she occupied when the power of Islam reached its meridian proves that she possessed rights similar to those enjoyed men.
In a survey through Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai in our Kashmir valley I observed dominant majority of women in Kashmir is illiterate, they have not been able to participate in and benefited by the growth, intellectual development and moral development. So in order to make them equal to men in status and role, they have to be involved in the emancipation processes through providing them literacy and population education through different sources. Since majority of the illiterate women in all districts of Kashmir valley are compelled to work in handicraft sector / fields they have to be provided necessarily the distance type of education and adult and non-formal education, for which there are enough institutions in the valley.
There is an urgent need to carry out a study with the objective to develop the methodology for pursuing the programme of total education to women in a specific time frame and for resolving various problems, which may emerge in the way like the health problem and the problem of population explosion. The population explosion is the result of illiteracy of women. To over come this problem the best solution is to educate women about ill effects of over population.
In this matter there can be no separation of the interests of the gender. The good of woman is the good of man. Many famous men have recognized the importance to the race of the well being of its womankind, and have agreed that it is by the character of its women that the standard of nation’s civilization is judged. In the word of Sheridan, the well known dramatist: “women govern us let us render them perfect: the more they are enlightened, so much the more shall we be on the cultivation of the mind of women depends the wisdom of men”.
Only by education can a woman fit herself to be the companion and inspiring helpmate of her husband. Only by information can she gain the ability to direct her children’s course and follow their careers with loving, intelligent sympathy. Therefore the women of every country should feel it their duty to seek the highest culture within their reach, that they may be in truth the moral and intellectual mothers of their children. According to my opinion the education that unfits a girl for the practical duties of the home is a progression on totally wrong lines, since the majority of women will always be called upon to direct house hold tasks. Education and household duties make a woman perfect and she makes her life like heaven.
The final chronicle of the twentieth century comes to be written probably the most remarkable feature in its annals will be the history of the development of woman. Far and wide throughout the world today a new energy is spreading aimed the ranks of women of every class. From north, south, east and west the active impulse comes, and women of every land call to one another to join hands for the enlightenment and betterment of there sisters, that they all may help in the great forward movement of the world. This activity among women is a sign of good, for it is at one with an inclination towards a more universal brotherhood that is sweeping over mankind.
Last but not least, I want to say that educate a girl properly but give her moral education also and follow the best way of life.