Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Education is that ground, on which the strong foundation of human life can be laid. Therefore, men and women education, both should be given equal importance.
Female education in Africa has never been given much importance. Poor girl child education in Africa has always been prevalent despite the amount of development the country has seen since its independence. Women’s education has not been given much priority due to the many factors affecting female education in Africa. Some of these factors are the biased outlook towards women education, the perspective of getting them married at a very young age to reduce the burden on the family, the notion that women cannot contribute to the socio-economic growth of the family, the view that women can only fulfill the traditional duties of cooking and domestic chores, large family sizes, and many others. However, it is essential to understand that when you educate a woman, you educate two families. Hence, the importance of female education cannot be neglected.
Educating a woman means educating a family. An educated woman has the power to educate her children, improve the health and hygiene of the family, contribute to family income, help in decision-making and enhance the family lifestyle in general. This implies that women education can positively contribute to the country, both economically and socially. Also, an educated woman contributes to women empowerment in the country.
Women education also promotes Indian women empowerment. When women are educated, they get empowered to fight for their rights. Such women are well aware of their rights, don’t get oppressed easily and have the confidence to fight for justice and equality. This results in a more just society where men and women are considered equal. Hence, the importance of female education.
Gone are the days when women were considered an oppressed section of the society. Today, they are outperforming men in every sphere. However, there is still a lot of scope for Africa to provide equality of education to women so that they can grow as confident and independent individuals.