Why There Is A Need To Educate The Society About The Importance Of Girls Education

Of late, there has been a lot of conversation regarding the importance of education for girls – while the gender divide is steadily depleting in urban centres, in the rural areas, the difference is still quite obvious. You will still get to see plenty of girls who are not able to go to schools for a plethora of reasons. 

Let’s start by looking at some of the main barriers to the education of girls, particularly in rural centres:

• Without a doubt, poverty has to be the biggest reason for girls not being able to go to school. When a family has little to no money, they would prefer to educate the sons of the family, because in their eyes, it will be the sons who will become eventual breadwinners. In case there are no sons in the family, even then the daughters might not be sent to school, because they would prefer to utilise the money for fees etc. for other purposes.
• Rather than even considering education for girls, several families would prefer sending their daughters, irrespective of their age, to work, because they would be able to bring home some money. This could be in the form of household helps, caretakers for other children or even as farm or industry workers. 
• Child marriage, even though labelled illegal as per the government of India, is still prevalent and is one of the reasons why girls from rural areas are not able to go to school. Instead of sending their daughters to schools and investing in their bright futures, parents would rather marry the girl off, because then she is no longer their responsibility and it is one mouth less to feed as well. 
• One other problem lies with the schools too – without proper sanitation facilities and without a sense of complete safety, girls are often not comfortable going to school. There is a huge dropout that is observed at the time girls start menstruating, because they find it difficult to go to school during those days. 

Now let’s see why all this needs to change – here’s why what has been considered normal by the society for so long, needs to change:

• Differentiation based on gender needs to become a thing of the past because merit and talent need to come to the forefront. When we, at Educate Girls, try to bring girls back to school, our aim is to not only make them capable, but also allow them a proper opportunity to be equal in the society. Gender equality is no longer meant to be existent only in conversations, but in reality, too. 
• Population growth is in the hands of the population and educated girls will have a role to play in it – the importance of girls education comes to the forefront when they become aware of the problems associated with an excessively growing population. They will know how too many children will not only be a burden for their own family, but also the world as a whole. 
• By educating a girl, you are giving her the tools she needs to take care of her own health, as well as the health of the family. A proper education allows her to go beyond just basic infections and common diseases; she will also know the importance of maintaining hygiene during her periods as well as the importance of eating well during her pregnancy. 
• With a proper education, girls will be well aware of the perils of child marriage – physically and mentally, an individual becomes prepared to become a spouse only after a certain age. Should a girl have the confidence of education, she will be able to stand her ground, when it comes to the age of marriage. 
• Education is not restricted solely to bookish knowledge; it also offers a more practical approach – so, when they get a know-how of finances, they will be able to handle their family’s budget better. Moreover, they will also be able to contribute to the society as well as a whole. They will also know how to save for the future and even for any emergencies. 
• Another importance of education of girls is that they will become a lot more self-reliant and will become contributing members of the society. They will be able to help those around them, offer proper advice to those who need it, become entrepreneurs who can employ others and help build a better society. 

At Educate Girls, we are constantly trying to bring girls from rural areas and financially backward families back to the school; offering them a chance to earn a livelihood and become valuable members of the society. If you too are willing to support us in our endeavours in promoting the importance of girls’ education, donate today!