Educating Muslim Girls

This examination of the several considerations and factors that influence the schooling of Muslim girls is the first of its kind, based on first-hand information from interviews, documents and reports, and empirical studies. It argues that state policies and initiatives on education, regional location, social and economic compulsions, as well as changing community perceptions are critical to our understanding of why the educational attainment of Muslim girls continues to remain below average. The authors draw on their Survey findings on girls’ education, based on data collected across the country, to present a macro consideration of the complex factors that influence Muslim girls’ schooling. They then compare the experiences of five distinct locations-Delhi, Aligarh, Calcutta, Hyderabad and Calicut-and attempt a situational, micro analysis of these factors, identifying some critical elements that determine their education status. By doing so they succeed in dispelling prevalent misperceptions regarding “community conservatism” and resistance to change and advocate more pro-active affirmative action by the state.