In a world where more than 130 million girls already do not have access to education, the COVID-19 pandemic has served another major blow to the education sector all across the world. According to a report by UNESCO, 158 million girls are out of school due to the interminable lockdown.
Many Girls In India Won’t Go Back To School Once Lockdown Ends
This unprecedented halt to education has had a ripple effect in the lives of these girls. In India, where female literacy amounts for just 65.5%, the closure of schools and colleges has once again pushed many girls into the confines of domestic burden. This gendered and intersectional impact of the pandemic on education has unfortunately reinforced patriarchal norms in most homes.
As books and lessons left the lives of many girls, cooking and cleaning soon took their place. The pen was replaced by the broom, and homework was reduced to household chores. Many girls across the country have become victims of gendered stereotypes and have no option but to abide by these roles and responsibilities.
In rural India, where only a small section of the female population is enrolled in educational institutes, girls are expected to not only manage household chores but also work in the field. They walk for miles to fetch water and fuelwood, leaving little or no time for studying during the day. In most households, the load of domestic work disproportionately falls on the female members. Thus, posing a threat to the education of numerous girls across the country.
Since time immemorial, the toxic stereotypes have limited the position of women and girls to the confines of the household, impacting their life adversely. Irrespective of the countless achievements of girls and women throughout their lives, society has always conveniently managed to reduce a women’s worth to the roundness of her roti.
The coronavirus lockdown has hit women and girls the hardest—considering how it has completely sidelined the importance of their education and career. Their time, which should be invested in reading, writing and learning, is mostly spent doing unpaid care work now. According to a report by Plan International, women in low-income countries and rural communities spend up to 14 hours on care work every day.
While many educational institutes have initiated distance learning classes, in India, poverty and gender disparities stand as significant barriers in access to digital learning. Various socio-cultural and economic obstacles limit girls’ access to these online resources. In a recent study conducted by the UNICEF, only 29% of internet users are female—highlighting the vast gender-based digital divide in India. This digital divide mirrors deeprooted gender disparities within society.
When Finances Are Scarce, Families Will Prefer To Send Their Boys, Not Girls To School
For many girls, this situation is temporary. They will soon return to their schools and colleges, but some may never return.
The pandemic has severely impacted the economic and monetary conditions of various families. The lack of social protection programs and financial pressure may lead to a high number of dropout rates after lockdown ends. Many girls, especially in rural areas, will be forced out of schools and colleges due to the perception that deems a girl’s education to be a wasteful investment anyway.
This would widen the educational gap between boys and girls and would, in turn, curtail their future prospects. Young girls in most low-income families will not be able to assert their independence due to economic insecurity. As a consequence of the strained financial conditions, many adolescent girls may be forced into marriages too.
They might end up becoming victims of sexual and other forms of violence and be at a potential risk of early pregnancies impacting their overall health too. Many girls, when forced to quit school, will lose out on their social-support mechanisms such as friendship, emotional or informational support, a sense of belonging, etc. At a very young age, they will lose the agency to make informed choices about their life—a chance for a better life even.
Consequently, the indefinite lockdown may push various young girls into a downward spiral, which can set them onto an ill-fated path.
The series of mishappenings triggered due to the ignorance of girls’ education in times of COVID-19 paints a horrific picture. This picture provokes us to contemplate, develop and implement mitigation strategies that will ensure minimal disruption in education.
In order to do so, it is imperative to prioritize girls’ education as a strategic developmental policy. Appropriate methods should be developed to facilitate distance learning in areas where students do not have access to digital resources. Reading and writing material should be delivered through easily accessible forms of communication, such as television or radio.
The government must work on creating accessible remote learning platforms. As for the educational institutions, they must ensure that students return after the lockdown ends by providing a flexible learning approach and cover up the syllabus through extra classes. Most importantly, the participation of girls in decision-making should be strengthened. They should have the right to voice their opinions both at home and at school.
For a country that has given the world remarkable women from Anandibai Joshi to Justice Anna Chandi to Kalpana Chawla, we owe it to our girls—the right to have access to education irrespective of the times. Not just for their better future but also for us to evolve socially, politically and economically and grow as a nation.