4 October2021A mother is the very first teacher a child encounters. Right from basic skills such as language, motor skills to more complex things such as values and decision making, a woman influences the child's growth and learning in a major way. Stepping outside the comfort of home and into the world of education, a child again is often in the care of a woman at his playschool or kindergarten class. As the child moves up in the educational ladder, all through early years of school, he/she is in the care of female teachers who form a larger chunk of early educators. Thus the influence that women have over our children from a very young age is rather impactful and critical. India's new National Education Policy (NEP) recognized that women play a special role in the society and insisted that while education for women would be encouraged, emphasis would also be given to education being imparted by women. Case in point is the participation of women in higher learning and academic roles in higher educational institutions. Over the past few years there has been a steady rise in the number of women enrolling in master's and doctorate programs. In-fact today women outnumber men when it comes to enrolling in post-graduate courses, diplomas and MPhils. However, when it comes to senior positions in varsities and other educational institutions, representation of women is comparatively lower than their male counterparts. An All India Survey of Higher Education, found that women held 27.3 percent of professor and equivalent faculty positions. The number for reader and associate professor faculty positions was 36.8 percentand for lecturer/assistant professor faculty positionsit was 42.6%. The numbers do tell a promising story and we can see a gradual incline in the number of women opting for teaching positions at universities. By 2019, the number of women teachers at colleges and universities had gone up from 32 percent to 36.65 percent in a span of five years. However, one challenge remains in terms of women scholars and researchers who quit their academic careers in order to devote time to their families. Not only is this is a waste of resources but also of great opportunity. Women academicians require ample encouragement from the government and institutions. Another hand of help can come from coveted women mentors who have charted the path to success in the field of education. The current edition of Women Entrepreneur magazine highlights a few such successful women in the field of education. We hope reading about their success stories can inspire more women to chart heights of success in the field of education.Do let us know your thoughts.Editor NoteWomenMentors Can Facilitate a Positive Change in Female Representation in Education Rachita SharmaSpecial Editoreditor@womenentrepreneurindia.com
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