The Hindu : Call to revive Vedic era for educating girls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 13, 2003

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Call to revive Vedic era for educating girls

By Our Staff Correspondent

JAIPUR DEC. 12. The UNICEF's `State of the World's Children 2004' report was released here today with a stirring call to link education with social reforms and health and family welfare activities as a new approach to the human resource management. A clarion call was given to restore the status of girl education as was prevailing in the Vedic era.

Releasing the report, the Rajasthan Education Minister, Ghanshyam Tiwari, recalled the contribution of Vedic icons of women's intellectual power, such as Gargi, Maitreyi and Anusuya, to the eradication of social evils and asserted the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government's commitment to revive the Vedic spirit of girl's education.

"In the ancient Indian culture, women commanded respect in society and were free to get education. The social conditions deteriorated in the medieval period when all kinds of restrictions were put on women's freedom and their right to get education was severely curtailed,'' Mr. Tiwari said while pointing out that restoration of the Vedic philosophy and culture would ensure equality of women.

Mr. Tiwari said the new Government would make all efforts to provide toilet facility and drinking water in all primary schools within the next 100 days. He also promised to introduce reforms in the existing schemes for education of girls to bring them in conformity with the Indian culture.

The Chief Secretary, R.K. Nair, while making a plea for linkage between education and social reforms, said the steps to raise the level of female literacy in a traditional State like Rajasthan would yield long-term positive results. He felt that the UNICEF report could help evolve a new approach for expansion of girl education.

The Chairman of the Lok Jumbish Parishad, B.L. Sharma, said women's empowerment was the foremost condition for development of society and pointed out that the target of educating all by 2005 and development by 2025 would throw a challenge to various countries.

The Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development, Alka Kala, said the promotion of girl's education would lead to the development of society at large. The State representative of UNICEF, Satish Kumar, describing the report's salient features, said it had identified girl's education as the key area needing the attention of society and Governments.

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