Dr. Falendra K. Sudan
Inclusion targets maximum people’s participation in education. This implies minimum exclusion and discrimination. Inclusion is inclusion of all in societal development. Social justice in education is essential for inclusive growth. Education for All (EFA) aims at inclusive and equitable society. EFA is a human rights issue. It is concerned with social justice, equity and participatory democracy. EFA targets universal inclusion in quality primary education. The capability approach focuses on equitable and qualitative education within the social justice framework. The social justice is focused on social class. Social justice can be achieved through more equal distribution of social and economic resources. The comprehensive perspectives of social justice acknowledge gender equality. Social justice is an emerging issue in educational development. Social justice is a complex and multi-faceted concept. In wider terms, social justice is crucial in relation to children and youth. In general terms, social justice refers to fair treatment of all individuals and groups in society.
Over 100 million children do not attend school in the world. Majority of them are girls. Women are deprived of free and quality education. This is due to marginalized and oppressed socio-economic living. In order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing poverty, compulsory primary education by 2015 is targeted. The access to education is an important civil right. It is being deprived to majority of women and minority community. They are facing biases and discrimination. This prevented social justice particularly gender equality. Educational accessibility promotes gender parity. However, in developing countries the decision-makers have failed to address the norms and cultures initiating equality. Women have faced multiple gender based barriers. Thus, there is need for empowering women economically and politically. The barriers to equal access to education and career advancement must be eradicated. Equality in education will help achieve the MDGs of poverty reduction. This will improve healthcare, and protect human rights. This will also help women nurture societies. Gender equality will promote girls’ right to education. It will link education with social justice. High investment in women education ensures numerous benefits. This will facilitate increased productivity, higher incomes, late marriages, lower fertility, improved health and high infant and child survival rates.
Women access to education adds value to the job market. It integrates them into high paying occupations. Gender inequality in education and employment can have negative effects on economic growth. Gender equality implies equal opportunity for men and women to realize human rights. This also implies equitable roles and gains from economic, social, cultural and political development. This ultimately promotes social justice. Therefore, gender parity and equity are essential for social justice and equity in education. Gender parity implies that boys and girls of the same age groups enter the education system. Both boys and girls meet the educational targets. Gender equity implies treating girls and boys fairly. Gender equity provides equality of opportunity. It helps develop talents without predetermined influences of race, gender, family and society.
The continued marginalization of poor women of minority community has been due to biased institutions. Therefore, there is urgent need for modifying institutions. The institutional change must focus on gender equality and social justice. The barriers to women education such as access, duration, and the quality are often overlooked in educational policy. This further reinforces the gender gap in educational attainment. Gender inequality is entrenched through social and cultural forces in young age. This further reinforces gender difference. The influences of social and cultural forces are subtle and result in unconscious exercise of power over people. All this influences personal interests into institutions.
Women’s educational preference is governed by multi-dimensional factors. It has been wrongly thought that women don’t prefer Science, Education and Technology (SET). Therefore, it is wrong to perceive that they should be nurturers to perform caretaking careers. Further, it is wrong to motivate them in humanities and social sciences alone with low economic returns. Again, it is wrong notion that the study of business, engineering and technology are men’s domains. Fewer women are found in senior educational management positions. Recently, with more diversity and transformation, they are being elevated to senior management positions. With globalization, women have more roles to play in society and economy. Therefore there is need for their greater access to education and removing hurdles in women’s progress and promoting their role in development process.
There is no denying the fact that their participation in educational spheres will result in greater empowerment, parity and equality. Educational accessibility and attainment will open the door for their economic security. It will also act as a buffer for creating social justice. All this calls for renewed policies focusing on women empowerment and gender equality. At the same time, their greater role in policy-making and decision-making is not over-emphasized. The social justice is attained if the voices and concerns of the oppressed and marginalized women are taken care of. This is possible if we promote and strengthen their greater role in gender policy and planning. Therefore, there is need to promote social and cultural norms that facilitate equality. The institutional change favouring greater women empowerment, gender equality and social justice is strongly called for. Above all, the improved educational accessibility and equality in learning opportunities are to be kept high on educational development agenda.
(The author is Professor, Department of Economics, University of Jammu, Jammu)
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