EDUCATION

Demographer Malika B. Mistry On Comparative Levels of Education of Muslim Women in India

(In 1992-93), the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) was carried out by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and International Institute for Population Sciences, Bombay. In this survey, interviews were conducted with nationally representative sample of 89,777 ever-married women in the age group 13-49, from 24 states and the National Capital Territory of Delhi (which later became a state) from April 1992 to September 1993 with the main objective of collecting reliable and up to date information on fertility, family planning, mortality and maternal and child health. It used uniform questionnaires and uniform methods of sampling, data collection and analysis in different states. This was one of the most complete household surveys of its kind ever conducted in India. This survey also collected information on the highest level of education attained and exposure to mass media among each ever-married woman by religion.

In the NFHS, at all India level, 11% of the household heads were Muslims and 82% were Hindus. The proportion of Muslims and Hindus in total sample of NFHS in each state was selected according to their percentage in the total population of each state as given by 1991 census.

For India as a whole, 66% of the Muslim women are illiterate. Haryana can be described as the state with universal illiteracy among Muslim women in India (98 per cent). Kerala is on the other end with the lowest illiterate Muslim women (21%).

With regard to the category of high school complete, at all India level, about 5% of the Muslim women have passed high school. Only in Delhi, AP, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, 8 to 12% of Muslim women have completed high school education. For India as a whole, only 1% of the Muslim women have studied above high school. Only in Andhra Pradesh, a little above 5% of the Muslim women have studied above high school.

As far as differentials in illiteracy are concerned, at all India level the proportion of illiterate women among Hindus and Muslims is not much different.

With regard to the category of high school complete, at all India level Muslim women are nearly 2 times behind the Hindu women

The differentials in the category of above high school between Hindus and Muslims are more disturbing. At all India level, Muslim women are nearly three times behind Hindu women. At state level, the Muslim women lag behind Hindu women as follows: West Bengal, Delhi and Rajasthan, 9 times; Kerala, 7 times; Bihar, 5 times; Assam and Maharashtra, 4 times; Uttar Pradesh, 3 times; and Karnataka and Gujarat, 2 times ... In Andhra Pradesh higher percentage of Muslim women have completed above high school education.

Thus the illiteracy levels among Muslim women are very high and the levels of higher education are very low. The differentials in literacy between Muslim and Hindu women in general are large and they increase substantially as the level of education increases.

Policy Recommendations

From the above discussion, the following policy recommendations can be made:1. Muslim women in Haryana need literacy programme urgently as here universal illiteracy is observed. Also the states of UP, Bihar and Rajasthan need literacy programme at the earliest. Excepting the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, in all the states sincere efforts are needed to improve literacy levels among Muslim women.

The educational levels among Muslim women with regard to the categories of high school complete and above high school are very low. For this drop-out rates among Muslim girls at lower levels of education need to be reduced substantially. When compared with Hindu women, the educational backwardness among Muslim women becomes more intense. In order to make Muslim women competitive in Indian society, they need to be given higher education by making concerted and long-term efforts. For this special incentives should be provided and change in the attitudes of Muslim parents in general and Muslim men in particular needs to be brought about.

To conclude, in order to make Muslim community a dynamic community which can face the challenges of a modern society, Muslim women have to become literate and their educational levels have to be improved substantially. To achieve this, it requires vision and hard work on the part of the Muslim community

Educational Levels among Hindu and Muslim Women [Age 13–49], (1992–93)

Education of Muslim Women Editorial, Islamic Voice, January, 1997

Though the call for establishment of a University for Muslim Women in Chennai will be welcomed with due circumspection, the first-ever Muslim Women's Education Conference that concluded there will be remembered as a significant advance.

Government Statement On Schemes for Education of Minorities

Two Central schemes viz: i) Area Intensive Programme for Educationally Backward Minorities and ii) Scheme of Financial Assistance for Modernization of Madarsa Education were launched during 1993-94. The budgetary allocation as well as expenditure incurred during each of the last three years and 1996-97 in respect of each of the schemes is given below

No targets are fixed and no achievements are indicated under these schemes as it depends upon the availability of funds and receipt of proposals from State Governments/ NGOs.                  

Education of Muslim Women Editorial, Islamic Voice, January, 1997

Though the call for establishment of a University for Muslim Women in Chennai will be welcomed with due circumspection, the first-ever Muslim Women's Education Conference that concluded there will be remembered as a significant advance.

It was desirable that the conference should have gone into the question of education for Muslim Women from the standpoint of Indian ambience. The socio-economic and educational status of Muslim women became the object of exaggerated attention in the wake of the Shah Bano ease and the three talaq controversy. Yet there had been almost no discussion on the far greater negative impact of physical and cultural threat under which the whole community is made to live. This is due to total abdication of the basic responsibility of ensuring rule of law by the administration. Lot of the Women of the community can be no better or safer than that of theme folk. Communal insecurity will deter the higher education prospects of Muslim women in perhaps greater measure than it does with their males. Naturally such factors come in the way of Muslim household’s allowing their hijab observing girls to attend colleges. Provision of unisex school will better suit the Muslim women. It is rather ironical that a government that seeks to adopt culture specific methods to popularise birth-control among Muslim women, fights shy of a similar. Approach for education. Behavioural changes are universally acknowledged to be culture specific. UK's social welfare in Indian cities. While most boys drop out early to assist fathers in continuing ancestral occupations or taking self-employment, Muslim girls ascend the ladder of learning. Infact this has rendered the match-making an arduous task in most cities. These and several other gender-specific issues will need to be considered.

The demand for the Muslim Women's University going by the inadequate number of feeder institutions must wait some years before actual realisation.