Education: The Ray of Hope for the Girl Child

Mar 25
NabanitaDhar

With tiny hands and soft little toes,
She is the ray of hope to end my woes.
But I fear of what the world has in store,
For the sweet bundle of joy I so adore.



Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a mother. I see many around me with their baby girls; their bond seems surreal and strong. Though I recognize the connection and the rapport but it is from the point of view of a daughter. Then again when I think of a time ten to twelve years down the line, I dream of, apart from other things, being the best mother I could be to a little girl. But no sooner than I do that a chill runs down my spine for being a mother to a daughter in this society of ours is tougher than scaling the highest mountains in the world.
The agonizing truth of India being a country fundamentally hostile to women in the guise of traditions and culture is an open secret. From female feticide to dowry, rapes to domestic violence we as a country have done everything possible to create a suffocating milieu for our women folk. There is no line which has not been crossed. There is no atrocity that has been spared. From babies to the elderly, no female is safe in this country of ours. The sad part is though that in spite of all the uproar very little is actually done to ensure a safe and respectable life for a female.
It is high time that something is done and who better than us women to nip every problem that we face in the bud? Since expecting something from this patriarchal society of ours is an utter waste of time, we need to respond to the clarion call for change. So what can we do to ensure that if not this then at-least the future generations of women lead a life devoid of all the ills that plague us in the present day? The answer lies in enabling our daughters and the young girls for a better life.

What could be the potential solution or solutions even, to ensure a life of choice to every innocent little girl out there? Time and again the answer boils down to a handful of options in my head with education being one of them. The reason why I have the ability to steer my life today in the direction I want to is because I am independent. This independence comes from the fact that I had the opportunity to have a good education so that I could as they say earn my own living and stand on my own two feet. So the first step of cutting the unwanted umbilical cord with the domineering males in our society is being free in every sense and monetary independence forms an essential part of the process. Thus it is evident that education is one of the foremost weapons of marching towards that horizon where out little girls would be the commanders of their lives!
We need the resolve to make certain beyond doubt that every girl child is educated to the point that she becomes self-sufficient. Being a country of millions, it might be a difficult task to accomplish but then which task is not?
A woman empowered with the shield of education has better chances at survival in this unsympathetic Indian subcontinent than a woman who is dependent for everything on a chauvinistic male. We should all take a leaf out of the life of the young Malala Yousafzai. When she could fight for the basic right of education, undeterred in a land which fares far worse for woman than our country, can’t we ensure that we in India lead every female child to school? We have the system in place all we need to do is make the resolve. We have to fight some archaic mindsets yes but that shouldn’t dissuade us from crossing this very important threshold, should it?

I remember reading once that education equips one with the key to solving every problem in life. We need to pass on to every girl child the magical wand of learning, the power of thought and the baton of choice. There is a beautiful saying which forms the crux of the solution to a majority of our socio-economic problems in the context of women “Educate a man, you educate one person, educate a woman, you educate a complete family.” 
So what are we waiting for? Let’s pledge to work towards this dream with tenacity and transform it into reality!
With books all new,
A bag of blue hue,
With dress and shoe,
And ribbons around a pony or two,
I lead you dear,
To your future clear,
So read and learn,
Write and earn,
And build a life that you so yearn!

This post is written for Indiblogger’s ISB iDiya for IndiChange. Find more details here: http://www.isb.edu/idiya/

18 thoughts on “Education: The Ray of Hope for the Girl Child”

  1. What a beautiful post! I would go further and say that Quality Education is necessary for every child in this country. It will not only reduce illiteracy, but also reduce incidents such as rape, eve teasing etc.

    Again, brilliant post, and a wonderful blog! My congrats!

  3. Well written. Absolutely agree with you. The future of the nation lies in the hands of the educated women.

  4. Well written. Napoleon had said "Give me a good mother and i'll give u a better nation" If mother is educated the entire generation benefits

  6. Beautiful post Naba and optimistic too! Yes, it is possible. The belief and the power to do lies in us! Very well written! Loved the poems too!

  13. It's really a great & hopeful too!
    But, I hope that boys should also be learnt to behave, because….rape has nothing to do with the girl's education. 🙁

  15. While I fully support the education for girl child – in India and all over the world, I am not sure I agree with the following statement:
    "The agonizing truth of India being a country fundamentally hostile to women in the guise of traditions and culture is an open secret."
    It is not possible for me in this comment to go into the reasons for why such a statement doesn't help anyone – woman, man, Indian or anyone else. But I sincerely wish we Indian women start thinking more deeply about what are the reasons women in India and all over the world face discrimination and subjugation. Just my humble opinion.

  16. A lot depends on one's upbringing, no matter which part of the world you belong. If you have empowered your daughters with the strength to choose their worthy battles, most of the problems we see around us get addressed.
    Thought provoking post indeed!

  17. Beautifully written, Naba. I guess it's safe to say that 'experience' plays a role in the upbringing. Yes, education is key, but when educated people themselves behave like ruffians, what values are we inculcating in the newer generation. Coming back to your post, as you said, the key is empowering the future generation to break free of those shackles and follow what they want to. But in a patriarchal society like ours, we've got a long way to go. But yes, eternal optimism…let's hope for a better tomorrow for women, children and all 🙂

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