Junaid Shaida
Education has been with all the existence and has crafted synchronization in beings throughout ages. Ever since the incorporation of world education has been the most powerful weapon and vehicle to revolutionize the globe. The process of learning through educating minds has reformed nations since ages. The civilizations that hung to education flourished and boomed. The process of education imparts the virtues and nurtures the flairs of a being, hence renovating humans for what they are meant to be. The prime mission of the education is that it unlocks the new dimensions to the people. Education a mode through which people come out of utter ignorance and turn out to be educated, it holds a central theme in a purposeful living. Times gone by reveal that inhabitants who imparted education in themselves widen their array of life and developed socially in contrast to the land of uneducated ones.Social progress is the idea that societies can or do improve in terms of their social, political, and economic structures. Education has been an imperative factor for the development of social order in the nations and has been a key driver for their rise and enlargement. Moreover from the rise of a nation through society and domicile, education theatres its important role in the opening out of an individual, nurturing the intrinsic worth, broadening the mental picture and clearing the blurriness that might prevail otherwise. From individual enlargement to social progress, it’s the education that holds the core responsibility.
Children are the prospect of any nation and the educational institutions are undeniably an imperative asset of a nation as the future of a nation is shaped in these institutions. The values and wisdom imparted by these educational associations stay for a life time. Specifically one and all know the worth of being educated and its importance in the life of people yet the literacy numbers of our nation are not much satisfying. A glimpse of India’s statistics regarding literacy reflects that with the population of about 1.21 billion, the overall literacy rate being 74.04% according to census 2011. The female literacy rate 65.46% is lower in contrast with the male literacy rate which is 82.14%. While on the whole there hasn’t been much boost in the female literacy rate since last decade as the figures of the census 2001 stand the female literacy rate being 65.38%. The fact remains that still the sense of discrimination between male and female children prevail in some spots of the countryside. We can’t deny the fact of being soft cornered towards male child. This outlook is hampering the education for all initiatives in the country. Thus adult education is the combat tool for the same. The statistics view of census 2011 reveals the population of the, inarguably the most beautiful state, Jammu and Kashmir standing at about 1.25 crore. Although the literacy rate in J&K has seen an upward trend to from 55.52% to 68.74% since 2001-2011. Of that, male literacy stand at 78.26% and female literacy is at 58.01%. There has been overall growth of about 13% in literacy and 23% in population. These numbers portray our response and mood towards development and establishment of social aspects. Although there has been a positive growth but it has not been upto pleasing mark, especially in the women section of the state, the literacy rate hasn’t increased much from 42.22% in 2001 to 58.01 % in 2011. The figure of female literacy in J&K reveals that the conventional thoughts of not educating a girl child and a bias in gender still prevail in the certain areas of the state. These grey areas need to be identified and dealt with appropriate channels. Education in the female section has to catch the trend and more efforts need to be put to address the concern. They say if you educate a man you educate an individual but if you educate a woman you educate a nation reflects the worth of educating a woman. The Census reflects the bias in educating a male and female child. Women are the caregivers of the newborn, when left uneducated cannot turn the tide. This is troublesome about the social and individual development. The sluggish developments in the education need a combat force to counter with.
Although much has been done to increase and reminisce the people about the educating value. But certain sections are depriving their children from the greatest fortification by keeping them at bay from education. We cannot have poverty as a justification for not getting our children educated as free and compulsory education to all children upto age of fourteen is constitutional dedication in India. This is powered through Right to Education Act. But the fact remains that the state Govt hasn’t been able to achieve the transcripts of the RTE. The policy of J&K Govt to impart education by introduction of primary Schools after every 1 km higher secondary schools after every 7 km has been out of the ordinary. It has helped in crafting a niche of the sense and worth of education in the common masses. However the lack of infrastructural conveniences is where these primary schools lack behind in imparting the required learning. Govt schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rastriya Madyamik Shikha Abhiyan, etc have lent a hand in enhancing the literacy rate.
The State still lacks the punch in the higher education as we have less number of Universities with limited capacities prevailing in the Valley of Jammu and Kashmir. We have large number of students pursuing their higher studies outside the state. The fact remains that with a handful of universities and limited seats available, studying outside the state is the only choice for them. The minority of them can meet the expenses, but what about the people who aren’t having much finance to afford such studying. They either end up in chasing their dreams through a bank loan, which later bends their back throughout their life to repay or give up studies and land in wrong places and wrong jobs. This is a grave concern that blocks the way of the talented ones and needs to be tackled in next to no time.
Education sector has prospered and boomed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir as compared to the last decade but there are still concerns that need to be addressed. The Infrastructure facilities need to be upgraded. The Right to Education needs proper awareness among the masses especially in remote section of the social order. The Govt should call for the importance of education more insistently. The higher education area needs addressed by increasing the intake capacities in the universities so that more students can be attuned in these institutions. The State needs to establish more number of universities which will address the problem of people moving outside the state and the people who leave their higher studies for not be able to bear the expenses of studying outside.
Lack of education is the main origin that halts the individual and the nationwide development. Apart from the efforts of Govt, NGO’s, State agencies, and Corporates, we at the individual level need to contribute towards the social development. We can create awareness among parents who do not allow their children to study because of their mere ignorance. The more we share the knowledge the more it will nurture us. So share the books, notes, and other things with the people around you who are in need of them.
(The author is Research Scholar at Lovely Professional University Punjab )
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