Women getting more access to education holds the key to sustainable development and emergence of a stronger society, according to Madurai Kamaraj University Vice- Chancellor Kalyani Mathivanan.
In her keynote address at the inauguration of a national conference, titled ‘Women’s Education in Indian Society: Need for new perspective’, at Fatima College on Saturday, she emphasised the difference that education would bring about to the lives of underprivileged girls.
“The value and significance of education of a woman will encompass all other spheres of her life and uplift her status and position in society,” she said, and added: “Problems associated with accessing education in rural areas should be addressed and equality in education should be promoted.”
The one-day conference was jointly organised by the Department of Sociology, Fatima College, Readers Forum of The Madura College, Educational Trust Vergal (Roots), and Need Trust.
The conference focussed on education for women across different eras, the methodology, procedure and channels of teaching, and the way forward. Points of discussion included innovative teaching methods, inconveniences felt by employed women, social activism with respect to education and employment for women, and the government policy towards women’s education.
K. Fatima Mary, Associate Professor of Sociology, said through the conference, they hoped to throw light on various factors such as caste, class and gender discrimination and how they affected women’s education.
“Constraints and norms have been so deeply embedded in society that we fail to question several restrictions in getting the women educated” Dr.Fatima said.
“Women’s issues too are seldom addressed and there is a need to evaluate the content that is being used to impart knowledge in educational institutions,” she noted.
