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The right to be educated should be considered a human right, not a privilege. The knowledge and skills one can obtain from attending school can profoundly impact them and their community. We perceive a quality education as being a tool to get ahead powerfully. Education liberates the human mind to achieve and think beyond capacity. Nonetheless, women in Jammu and Kashmir are still fighting for the right to be considered equal when it comes to their education. Jammu and Kashmir have never possessed a spectacular record with their literacy rates (which falls directly in line with the educational rates in Jammu and Kashmir), falling just above 60%. Males see a 78% literacy rate. For females, that number is lower; right around 58% of the female population in the area is literate.
A picture of female students from Jammu and Kashmir
Access to education can allow women to establish their righteous liberties through education. Yet, not much has been done to ensure that more women in Jammu and Kashmir are receiving the right to be educated. When it comes to Jammu and Kashmir, many families fear addressing their daughters to school due to the active militarism that arrives in periods of political tension. Others who live in poverty can’t afford to send females to school. Proximity to public schools may limit them from a government-funded education.
Additionally, many more impoverished communities keep females in their communities from going to school as they believe the females should be filling in stereotypical roles instead. Rather than studying, females that are in humble communities tend to stay at home and fulfill household duties. At times, the fear and beliefs implanted by their parents result in the females being disengaged with the concept of education. Thus, it's no surprise to see that even when females are sent to school, they drop out at a higher rate than their male counterparts.
Female students from Jammu and Kashmir await the first class of the day.
Social norms are widening the gaping gender-based difference in access to education. While the absurd belief that having educated male members of a family allegedly holds a greater significance than having educated female members is common, there are other disparities. With the aid of societal norms, many in Jammu and Kashmir prefer having male members of families attend school. There aren’t enough female-only educational establishments in Jammu and Kashmir either. Through this, it’s apparent to see the disparities that separate the genders from reaching equal access to education.
Equal access to education can allow females to comprehend their freedoms and rights. It can allow them to problem-solve in their communities, enabling them to become leaders. These aren’t just possibilities; through greater access to education for females, Jammu and Kashmir have seen women fulfill occupations that were traditionally filled by men. Also, considering the militaristic state of the region, women who were educated and had lost a family member (especially a father or husband) were increasingly economically independent compared to their non-educated counterparts. Overall, educated women in Jammu and Kashmir are more independent and can achieve greater economic success.
Lamentably, there is still a long way to go. There have been movements that have attempted to push females (especially from rural areas) to venture out for educational opportunities whether it be scholarships or tuition. Jammu and Kashmiri girls are attending schools in larger quantities than what was once thought possible. However, 76% of women from the region are unemployed. Women in the region aren’t participating in the workforce due to the gender disparities they face, a major one being the ability to be educated.
Projects that have been pushing women to be educated aren’t receiving enough attention or funding from the government to spread across the region. It can allow them to problem-solve in their communities, enabling them to become leaders. Pushing families to send female members to school as well as desperately trying to combat disparities and inequalities can urge females to be increasingly involved in the educational process. Through this, females in Jammu and Kashmir would be further engaged in school and the workforce. If Jammu and Kashmir want to see a progressive change in their society and economy, they must look beyond gender. Without equality in the Jammu and Kashmiri education system, they will fail to see a balanced society that can be considered as an independent region.
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