International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, honors the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women worldwide. This day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. The theme for 2024 is ‘ Invest in women: Accelerate progress’. In recognition of this important occasion, Brainfeed will be highlighting diverse perspectives and insights from women school leaders.
In this context, we are pleased to present an article below by Dr. B. Meadows, Principal, Mahindra World School, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu.
Somebody said ‘For most of history, anonymous was a woman’. This sums up the state of women across times, not just in literature but in all walks of life. Being behind the scenes – at home, at work, in family, in life, has been unduly glorified. She is always behind a man in his success and not beside him. Education helped her come to the fore and there was no stopping her thereupon– from submarines to space shuttles, her journey to emancipation began.
As a woman and a leader, I am at a vantage point of meeting girls as students, young girls as fresher teachers, and experienced teachers. And I feel, women still have a long way to go. The education that is supposed to liberate her is sometimes entwining her, confining her, and confusing her. I once had valuable advice given to me – by my mentor – to keep my degree accumulation focused on a single track, of a particular subject, and become an expert in it. As much as I wanted to do a lot of other fancy (read: crazy) degrees, I obeyed, and I owe her for that valuable advice. I understand there is a dearth of such mentors for our youngsters.
My interactions with women candidates during recruitment had me rather shaken up when I came to know that they have had their hands and feet in all types of degrees. Why am I not appreciative of this? The reason for this resonates with the state of women even in these modern times. A teaching job requires a graduate / postgraduate in a particular subject with an under/postgrad degree in education – simple math one could say. The reality is, that candidates have degrees, but in all kinds of subjects. My question to them as to what exactly is their expertise subject area, makes them think a while. I need answers before I recruit them. I need teachers who will teach my students a subject with the conviction that they are experts. But lo, there is a dearth of this kind of expertise.
Every other young girl who applies for a teaching job is an engineering graduate and a former employee of a company. The epiphany sets in with matrimony and maternity that she needs to find a job suitable for all these new changes in her life. She walks into a nearby school along with her toddler for kindergarten admission and employment – for the baby and herself respectively. No, I am not taking a jibe at such women, (maybe a little); but I am upset with the structure of the society that has pretentiously led her to believe that she can become an engineer like boys and work in companies like men. She comes to a point of contention, where she is caught between the duties of being a mother and being herself. Well, you guessed it right as to what she chose. Who is to be blamed for this – her father or her husband? Or is it her mother who failed to tell her about the trap ahead?
As an educationist, I want to create valuable citizens for my nation and the world, but don’t I have the right to be choosy about my teacher? Would not these women, who seek employment as teachers along with their kids’ admission want expert teachers for their children? Whose responsibility is it to create good teachers out of our children, especially girls? Leading them to wide pastures of options in the name of empowerment and tying them up in the barn of teaching saying it is a safe haven is the biggest lie we can tell this generation of young girls. Let them take the road not taken, but with our guidance and wisdom.
