UNESCO - EFA Global Monitoring Report

Box 4.15. Creating an informal cadre of women teachers in Rajasthan



The appointment of women teachers has been an important part of the educational discourse in India, and in Rajasthan in particular. In a state where segregation of men and women is strictly practised and purdah (the system of screening women from men and strangers by means of a veil or curtain) enforced, one of the major constraints to the enrolment of girls has been the absence of women teachers in schools located in remote areas. There were no women teachers identified in the Shikshakarmi Pilot Project implemented in l984. The initial document clearly stated the principle of two Shikshakarmis, one man and one woman in each village. It was felt that the presence of women Shikshakarmis in the village could help to create an environment that would be more conducive to encouraging girls to enrol in the schools. However, identifying and retaining women teachers continues to be challenging, requiring sensitive handling. A series of problems are faced by women Shikshakarmis, some of which are of a serious nature. Teaching is a not a traditional occupation for women in rural Rajasthan, unlike in the urban areas. The Mahila Shikshakarmis have had to struggle to establish		themselves as teachers, while simultaneously attaining approval from the family and village elders for this role. The fact that women teachers are required to travel outside their villages for training/workshop meetings and to interact with males and children from different castes has necessitated a change in the rules and norms governing households, the community and to some extent, the school environment. In general, where a woman is expected to cover her face and observe purdah in the presence of ‘elders’ and community men, the woman Shikshakarmi’s role represents a step towards equality. It is also evident that the new role has enhanced her personal status and given her a sense of freedom. The Mahila Prasikshan Kendras (training centres for women) were intended to increase the number of women teachers and thus the enrolment of girls in the project schools. They have shown that, given a supportive environment, women can be motivated to become learners. The first internal evaluation carried out by the Shikshakarmi Board in 1992 indicated that most women joined the centres as an opportunity to study and become self-reliant.



Source: Jain (2003).

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