Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Poongothai plumps for women’s empowerment through education

— Photo: M. Karunakaran

HONOURED: Social Welfare Minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna felicitating a senior member of the University Women’s Association at a seminar in Chennai on Saturday.

CHENNAI: Literacy makes women self-confident, articulate and independent, Social Welfare Minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna said on Saturday.

Inaugurating a two-day national seminar on ‘Women and conflict areas’ organised by the University Women’s Association, Chennai, she said an educated woman could understand the importance of national integration, gender equity, women’s empowerment, environmental protection, the importance of small family and hygiene and sanitation.

Studies suggested that if a girl child studied beyond Std. IV, the family size shrunk by 20 per cent, the rate of infant mortality dropped by 40 per cent and her wages increased by 30 per cent, Dr. Poongothai said.

The Minister said inadequate sanitary facilities at school, lack of female teachers and gender bias in curriculum were some of the factors that inhibited female education.

However, with the Sarva Siksha Abiyan and the noon-meal programme, the enrolment of girls in schools had increased.

As for female literacy, Tamil Nadu was placed seventh with 64.55 per cent, she said.

The introduction of marriage and maternity assistance and special pension schemes for widows led to some form of financial empowerment of women living below the poverty line she said.

Kalpana Shankar, Chief Executive Officer, Hand in Hand, Tamil Nadu, and Asha Ramesh, Director, Rights-based Programme, Bangalore, spoke.

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