Why Girl Education Matters: Breaking Barriers and Building Futures

March 08, 2025

Why Girl Education Matters: Breaking Barriers and Building Futures

"YOU EDUCATE A MAN: YOU EDUCATE A MAN.YOU EDUCATE A WOMAN: YOU EDUCATE GENERATION."

-Brigham Young

Why is it even an active argument that girls do or don't deserve education? Your gender should not determine whether you get an education. Society must realise the necessity of educating a girl.

A quality education is the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world. Equality in education is vital. It means equality in resources, syllabus, and facilities, supporting the children and encouraging them to realise and achieve their dreams regardless of their circumstances. Education helps people see things as they truly are.

When you educate a girl, you empower a nation. Girls benefit personally from education as it gives them the freedom to decide their future and fight evil practices in society like child marriage, dowry and gender discrimination.

Statistically,119 million girls are out of school worldwide, whereas, in India, girls' enrollment in primary education is high but it's not the same as they progress to higher levels.

Barriers to girl education

Gender bias - In society, beliefs about gender shape practices that limit girls' education and opportunities to learn

Poverty - Financially weak Families generally prefer sending boys to college/school and girls to help out with house chores.

Safety - Many parents avoid sending girls to school due to the fear that they might face harassment or violence on their way to school.

Early Marriages -Pregnancies and early marriages limit girls from attending school and indulging in domestic responsibilities

Education should go beyond books and include practical knowledge.

Many girls get chances to study and yet cannot put any of that to use because education in many places is merely taken as a status symbol rather than a necessity.

The Role of NGOs in Breaking Barriers

Apart from government policy, non-profit organisations play an important role in breaking barriers.

NGOs like Pehchaan The Street School are a light of hope for underprivileged children. This organisation is dedicated to providing free high-quality education to underprivileged children and breaking free from the continuous cycle of poverty and inequality passing from generation to generation. They teach girls and boys in the same space and provide similar resources, which reduces gender discrimination.

Pehchaan The Street School has a gender-responsive curriculum and provides opportunities for holistic learning to both boys and girls in the same environment. They offer vocational training in areas such as computer and IT skills, personality development and also teach about financial literacy keeping in mind the demands of the modern world, provide the same resources to both genders and organize various workshops for good and bad touch, and menstrual health education aiming to have an inclusive and open conversation. They ensure a safe environment for female students.

Parents who don’t send their children to school due to economic barriers mostly prefer sending their sons to school and daughters to learn house chores. This organisation provides financial support to them and also encourages them to empower their girl child.

Additionally, they collaborate with communities to raise awareness about girls' education as Communities provide a road for a supportive environment.

For instance, they collaborated with Girl Up Ascent, a club based in Delhi,India under Girl Up India. This club stand against injustice and works for gender equality. As a part of their efforts,they organised a Charity Fundraiser to donate blankets to underprivileged students during the winter. Both of these organizations have been tirelessly working towards the betterment of society and fighting social injustice.

They also partnered with Delhi Himachal School Association (DHSA) and Delhi Kinnaur Students Association (DKSA) and organised a drive to provide clothes to the Pehchaan The Street School’s Children during harsh winters.

Conclusion

Education is essential for a country to strengthen its economy and reduce inequality and has the power to transform society, free underprivileged children from challenges like child labour,child marriage,and gender discrimination and strengthen them to achieve their goals and achieve independence.

In our society girls are often discouraged from pursuing education. While some may complete primary education but face challenges in achieving higher education.

Barriers like gender discrimination,child marriage, poverty, and domestic responsibilities prevent girls from accessing education and working towards their goals.

Efforts from the government and NGOs are working towards making a positive difference.

Pehchaan The Street School, a 9-year-old NGO is a beacon of hope for underprivileged children and is led by values like inclusivity, innovation, empathy and responsibility. They also understand that quality education is Knowledge about opportunities, counselling, communication, occupation and having practical skills to achieve their dreams and gain employment.

Once in life, we all should be a part of such a great cause because investing in girls education is investing in the nation’s education.

On this Women’s Day, Pehchaan The Street School is celebrating the remarkable contributions of its 75% women volunteers, who are dedicated to breaking barriers and empowering children through education.

Let’s celebrate this Women’s Day by striving for a world where every girl has the right to education and the opportunity to grow.

Happy Women’s Day🌻

To know more about Pehchaan The Street School visit the following links-

Website-

https://pehchaanstreetschool.org/

Facebook page link :

https://www.facebook.com/PehchaanTheStreetSchoolOfficial/

Instagram page link -

https://instagram.com/pehchaanstreetschool?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=181sger2fozl7

YouTube channel -

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXd4gnTazJh3JugKENt5yog

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