Why it Matters?

India is the world’s fastest developing economy, but the female illiteracy rate still lags at 53.7%. Education is a universal right that cannot be denied to anyone, but societal conventions, educational standards and poverty must be corrected to combat the lack of female education which stifles the progress of India and ultimately the world.

Societal conventions often dictate that  girls are raised to just be housewives. Thus, there is little improvement in the educational standards of impoverished communities which is further worsened by the absence of educational funding. Schools located in disenfranchised localities often lack basic necessities such as adequate shelter, sanitary toilets, and textbooks in order to function properly.

Education mitigates the harm caused to girls by poverty and violence. They gain the ability to pursue their aspirations. India will eventually, comprise 25% of the world’s labor pool  per the Guardian. According to the Economist though, only 25% of Indian women are in the workforce. So, essentially a quarter of the population in a country that will provide 25% of the world’s labor is illiterate.

In response to the increasing demand for educational opportunity, publicly funded campaigns have been launched that target the causes responsible for the dearth of female education. However, education is still not a major priority for the Indian government. Which is why it is up to individuals like us to advocate for educational equality, and take a stand for girls’ education.

Only we have the ability to raise awareness, only we have the ability to encourage elected officials to actually address female education, and only we have the ability to ensure that no child regardless of gender  is denied their basic right to an education.