1.1 Introduction
"Educate your women first and leave them to themselves, then they will tell you what reforms
are necessary for them."1
A society that has good literacy level witnesses less of crime, conflict and misery as
educated persons attain the ability to differentiate between the good and the bad
aspects of life. For all round development of a nation i.e. Economic, Social and
Cultural, education is to be made available for all without any restriction, exclusion,
prohibition and discrimination. Prof. M.K. Sinha has highlighted the importance of
education by saying that "Education is the primary vehicle by which economically
and marginalized adults can lift themselves out of poverty and obtain the means to
participate fully in their communities."2
Right to equality in education is universally accepted to be a basic human right. Both
the gender viz. Male and Female have equal rights in manifesting the perfection that is
already within them, through education. In this regard, let us make a reflection on
Plato's philosophy which proposed that in a Platonic state both men and women
should have equal rights, equal status in society and equal education.3 One of the
parameters to evaluate the spirit of any civilization is by studying the history of the
'Position and Status of Girls and Women' in it. A particular civilization is the fruit of
a society's capacity to control and nurture certain basic and selfish impulses deep
rooted in human beings. The extent of freedom enjoyed by the fairer sex to move in
society and to participate in public forum reflects the nature of administration of that
society and as well it indicates to which level the society realizes the importance of
women's contribution in the process of development and progress of a nation/society.
Culture derives from religion basically and this has been the trend all over the world.
The history of elementary education in India has its sources in the religious set ups. In.
