Mains Daily Question
Dec. 6, 2023
Q1. ‘It was Savitribai Phule who laid the foundation stone for women’s education in India.’ Elaborate.(10M, 150W)
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Approach to the answer: Understanding of the question: The question talks about the contributions of Savitribai Phule in advancing and somewhat laying the foundation stone for women’s education in India. Thus, we need to highlight arguments in the same regard. Introduction: We can introduce the answer by giving a background about who was Savitribai Phule. or we can also introduce by highlighting the significance of Savitribai Phule’s contributions on Women’s education. Body: Since the directive here is to ‘elaborate’, we need to give in more detail and provide more information on the topic. Here we need to list the contributions of/measures advocated by Savitribai Phule which directly or indirectly pushed women’s education forward. Conclusion: We can conclude by stating the significance of Savitribai’s contributions or we can also conclude by summarizing the arguments used in the body section of the answer. |
Answer: Savitribai Phule was a 19th century social reformer. She along with her husband, Jyotirao Phule, broke many social barriers, amongst the most important being, girl education, which was considered taboo during the period.
Contributions of Savitribai Phule:
- First Indian Female Teacher: Savitribai Phule was probably the first Indian female teacher. She donning the role of teacher was mostly to make parents comfortable in sending their girl child to school.
- First School for Girls: The first indigenously run school for girls in Pune (at that time Poona) was started by Jyotirao and Savitribai in 1848.
- Night School: A night school was also opened by the Savitribai Phule in 1855 for agriculturist and laborers (including women laborers) so that they can work in daytime and attend school at night.
- Check Dropouts: To check the school dropout rate (mostly girls), Savitribai started the practice of giving stipends to children for attending school.
- Source of Inspiration: She encouraged young girls to take up activities like writing and painting which were impactful.
- For instance, one of the essays written by a student of Savitribai called Mukta Salve became the face of Dalit feminism and literature during that period.
- Regular Parent-Teacher’s Meeting: Savitribai conducted parent-teacher meetings at regular intervals to create awareness among parents on the significance of education so that they send their children to school regularly.
- Mahila Seva Mandal: In 1852, Savitribai Phule started the Mahila Seva Mandal with the objective of creating awareness among women regarding their rights, dignity and other social issues.
- Infanticide Prohibition Centre: In 1863, Jyotirao and Savitribai also started a care center called ‘Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha,’ possibly the first ever infanticide prohibition home founded in India.
Apart from education, Savitribai also raised and fought against the issues of untouchability, worker’s rights, widow remarriage, child marriage, sati, gender discrimination etc. In doing so, she faced social ostracization, humiliation, physical assault but none deterred her resolution of a better India.
