Chapter One

EXAMINING THE BASIC NEEDS FOR WOMEN EDUCATION

Introduction

The developed world has managed to alleviate the pressures resulting from the fast pace of change, the spread of the means for disseminating information, and of competition in such fields as economy and development. It has managed to do so through education-for-all and implementing articulated strategies in the field of adult education and training through continuing training. However, this is not the case with most of the developing countries. For education-for-all, which is the main gateway to stamping out illiteracy, ignorance and underdevelopment, is still a difficult attainment in most developing countries; nor have all the children of schooling age profited from it. Furthermore, the percentages of children in full-time education in urban and rural areas are still irreconcilably different. The education gap between the sexes in these two milieus is widening further, and the difference becomes clear when the comparison involves cities and villages.

It may be said that, where education is concerned, girls are the most discriminated against, and for various reasons: economic, social and cultural. Most of the time, all these reasons combine to form an obstacle in the way of women’s involvement in modernity and participation in development and decision-taking. This has forced rural women especially, or those who have not had the opportunity to attend school in the city, to live on the margin of society and fall prey to illiteracy with all its types (abecedarian, functional, and civilizational) and abide by its consequences. This is confirmed in a UNESCO publication in which it is said: “If we consider illiteracy, we will find that it has forced one part of humankind into leading a life of total seclusion. This secluded part is the most impoverished, the most poorly fed, and the least cared for”(1).

It is within the framework of building a society wherein equality prevails and all potentials interact in an honorable life that the notion of adult education has taken shape as a means for prompting everybody’s participation in a comprehensive development of society. For “if the level of their education (general and specialized) is high, if their continuous training is good and their skills are excellent, adults will be more productive, perform better on the job, carry out their work more conscientiously, and be more appreciative of their rights and duties.  They will be more receptive to all that is new, modern and beneficial; they will bring up their children in a better way; and they will get along better with others in their work environment, families and members of the community to which they belong”(1).

Some researchers believe that if a nation expects to live in a modern, democratic state while remaining ignorant, it is expecting something that has never happened, and will never happen.

It is clear, therefore, that there can be no cultural, economic, democratic and scientific take-off in any particular society so long as there is a large segment of its population that does not consciously participate in defining the goals of this take-off, as well as the requirements and conditions for its realization. This is the case of Third World countries as is described in a UNESCO report submitted to the Conference on “Education-For-All” held in March 1990 in Jomtien - Thailand(2). The report says that the number of illiterates in the world has neared the one billion benchmark by the end of 1989, that is 980 million people, and that the share of the Third World in this number is 98%. It is clear that women have the lion’s share in this percentage.

The Muslim world has not escaped unscathed from this plight, given the fact that it constitutes an important part of the Third World. It was, therefore, only natural that the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization put illiteracy as one of its top priorities through its proposal of the ISESCO Islamic Literacy and Education-For-All Program in Muslim countries and communities. The Islamic Organization has called for a step-by-step implementation of the program, the aim of which is the advancement of the Muslim World with a view to helping it to join the group of developed countries. The program contains the following statement:

“Illiteracy is the most serious problem facing the Muslim World today, because of its negative impact on the democratic process and social equity. Illiteracy no longer means only the inability to read, write and count; it also means being dispossessed of one of the most basic means of expression in a world controlled by communication techniques day in day out. Worse still, illiteracy does not only make a person unable to produce and communicate in writing, it is also a threat to the believer’s faith, because it stands in the way of his familiarizing himself directly with the sources of his own religion. Such dangers warrant from the Muslims a decisive and coordinated action to stamp out illiteracy and to put an end to its influence”(1).

The content of this paragraph highlights the basic aspects that may be adopted in setting up procedural programs designed to eradicate illiteracy and to educate adults in general. However, the targeted group in this study is women only. In this context, the question that really begs itself is: What are the basic educational requisites which may serve as a basis for establishing an educational program that is appropriate to their age and that will make them want to study and, at the same time, remain strongly committed to its contents? In other words, what kind of program would make women - their experience in life notwithstanding, and though advanced in age, have different concerns, and assume numerous responsibilities – want to learn, study and be trained, all of which require additional efforts on their part? Lastly, what type of educational aids and didactic means can help women to take full advantage of this program?

Finding convincing answers to these questions impels us, at a first stage, to survey a number of studies and reports which have tackled the subject of women’s needs for education, the purpose of which is to draw on their findings, which is the topic of this chapter.

SOURCES OF THE NEEDS : A SURVEY OF STUDIES ON THE SUBJECT

A number of studies tackled the subject of the basic needs for women education. Worth noting in this connection is the fact that all those interested in this subject, -be they international organizations (such as UNESCO and ISESCO), or educational societies or individuals doing research in the field of engaging women as full partners in development,- have conducted their studies within the context of their interest in literacy and adult education. This interest is part of a comprehensive conception aiming at taking into effective partnership all human resources in development, with a view to eradicating underdevelopment, ignorance and starvation.

1. Woman’s educational level and its relationship with child health

The UN study, which was carried out in 115 countries, makes is clear that the relationship between the woman’s educational level and the probability of giving birth to a living child is stronger than all other influencing factors. It is also demonstrates that the remarkably low levels of children and infant deaths was attained in some countries where the level of women education was high, the health effort moderate, and the per capita income was low to medium(1). The study clearly demonstrates the close relationship between reading, writing and women education in general, and the dangers that might threaten a child’s life.

In this connection, Abdelhadi Yammut maintains that recent studies have confirmed that the higher the mother’s educational level is, the more likely it is for her child to reach the age of five. It is during this period that one fourth of the children born to illiterate mothers die before they are five years of age. This percentage diminishes 10% for mothers who have completed seven or more years of school(2).

The Cairo study which was carried out on women under the supervision of the Universal Program for Fertility Studies has confirmed that the probability to live until another child is born is 93% for children who are breastfed for a period ranging between 15 and 20 months. By way of comparison, the probability for children who were not breastfed at all, or for those who were nursed for a period less than three months, is 64% only. The lower the mother’s educational level is, the higher the impact of breastfeeding. Regarding children whose mothers were illiterate, the probability of remaining alive for those among them who were nursed for a period ranging between 9 and 12 months was 30% higher than those who had no breastfeeding at all, while the difference between children whose mothers studied for at least seven years and those whose mothers were illiterate was fixed at 22%(1).

Within the framework of the firmly established relationship between women’s educational level and child health, a study conducted by the International Center for Research in Diarrhea-related diseases in Bangladesh holds that “contrary to what people think, family wealth and the availability of medical facilities have no effect whatsoever individually on the child’s chances of living; rather, it is the mother’s educational level that has a greater impact on reducing the chances of contracting diseases”(2).

This shows that women’s ability to read and write is necessary for preserving child health; consequently, programming this ability within a series of teaching and learning situations is a fundamental issue in alleviating child health suffering.

2. Family planning

Within the context of childcare, the mother is entrusted with the fundamental task of being fully aware of the necessity to give birth at long intervals and to control reproduction. Many women, especially in Third World countries - more precisely in poverty-stricken circles and among women who have a low educational and cognitive level - pay no heed to this phenomenon, its dangers on the health of both mother and child on equal footing.

 “Birth spacing that is less than two years,” Heathe argues, “involves serious danger, because it means births with a more defective weight and poorer nutrition. It may even imply a shorter nursing period and fiercer competition for family resources and care"(1).

It is common knowledge that the dangers which infants and children encounter and which, in the words of one researcher, alloy their happiness is short birth intervals. In two successive births, both children (the eldest and the youngest) are more prone to diseases and death. For the eldest child, the new pregnancy means early or sudden weaning that will deprive it of food and immunity against diseases which the mother’s milk usually provides. Moreover, introducing formulae and weaning foods at an early age carries with it the risk of diarrhea and malnutrition. Such children can even die in a later period. Statistics show that infant mortality rates amongst children aged between one and two years is four times higher if the mother gives birth to another child after 18 months(2).

The negative results of successive births could also affect the child’s psychological and emotional development. The coming of a new child early in the life of the first one means the arrival of a competitor in the family. This newcomer may attract the attention and care of family members, including that of the mother, before the first child has had its fill of affection. This situation may lead to tension in the child’s social relationships with the rest of the family members. Besides, he may display abnormal behavior, such as violent acts, introversion or enuresis. Some psychological disorders in children are sometimes attributed to the residues of successive births and their consequences on the child’s personality. Usually responsible for the large number of children in the family, successive births lessen the attention given to children, especially in terms of their upbringing and education. In a study on a large number of children conducted in Scotland, the United States and England, Dubrakh holds that the dwindling exam results are a corollary of large family size(3).

It is useful, therefore, that the women and girls education program include, among its components, educational goals and objectives that will spur the beneficiaries to adhere to family planning, and provide them with the methods of organization and the ways to implement this organization.

3. A balanced nutrition

One important issue to which it would be appropriate to give special attention when setting up adult education programs, especially where determining the basic needs for women education is concerned, is how to put together a balanced, healthy nutrition. Awareness of the complementarity between certain types of foods helps in putting together a meal that meets the specifications of a complete nutrition. Absence of this awareness leads, in most cases, to concentrating on a particular type of food. The woman immoderately consumes certain foodstuffs, unheeding the principle of a balanced nutrition or food mass, despite its rich nutritious value.

Body constitution and the daily consumption of energy needs vitamins, mineral salts, proteins and calories, all of which are scattered in many food substances (vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, fish, rice, etc.). Therefore, the person who prepares meals should be familiar with these components so that s/he will include them in the meals. Whether an embryo, a suckling, a pregnant woman or a suckling mother, human beings -irrespective of their race, stage of development or age- do need a balanced, healthy nutrition.

4. Fighting pollution and protecting the environment

One aspect of underdevelopment that has been plaguing many developing countries is the fact that combating pollution and preserving the environment have not been given due attention, even though pollution and an unhealthy environment constitute a danger to life, which necessitates special attention and a great deal of sensitizing people to their hazards. Given the fact that they make up half of society and that they are a fundamental source of instruction and of children’s socialization especially, women contribute to a large extent in inculcating a set of values in the minds of their children. They should therefore be aware of the importance of preserving the environment and combating pollution. The ozone hole that threatens human life, and which grows larger by the day, is no doubt a clear example of the harm pollution can do to the environment.

Another environment problem is desertification which has become a threat to many countries, especially those bordering desert regions. Starvation and malnutrition have made their appearance in many parts of the world. If natural factors are sometimes to be blamed for these phenomena, the destruction of the environment, abusing it, and lack of awareness of its importance in life, are all responsible for the present environmental situation. Moreover, slums, random waste burning, uprooting trees and failure to renew the botanical cover (especially in rural areas) all affect environmental components and cause serious effects, the consequences of which are far too serious for both the environment and the human being. Therefore, the woman’s unawareness of the necessity to fight pollution (both at home and outdoors) and to protect the environment, and of the ways and means of renewing it will only make the lives of individuals worse in general.

As it is stated in a study conducted by the Directorate of Social Affairs of the Moroccan Ministry of Social Affairs,

“The woman’s position allows her to chisel out leading roles for herself in the protection and preservation of the environment, in managing natural sources, and in laying the foundations of sustained development:

- As a mother, sometimes as a housewife, the woman fully understands what is good for her family; hence her gradual feeling of the need for birth control with a view to disburdening society demographically.

- Being in charge of family and household responsibilities, she is called upon to improve her ways of running her home and of rationalizing the consumption of natural environmental elements, such as water, wood, charcoal and gas; she should also find ways of reducing polluting wastes and protecting the environment.

- As an educator, she can be a very important element in transmitting the principles of environment protection to children and relatives”(1).

5. Cleanliness

The woman’s awareness of the role of cleanliness is an essential condition for a decent life for all the members of the family; for taking care of this aspect guarantees good health. This can be achieved through children hygiene and clean clothes, and through keeping a clean home and eating dirt-free food. Her awareness of the role of cleanliness greatly contributes to fighting killer diseases and preventing health deterioration. Lack of awareness of the role of cleanliness in the normal development of the body and the mind are considered one aspect of underdevelopment. Islam has urged the believer to always be clean; this is why it has enjoined, among other things that impart wisdom, that before praying, Muslims must perform ablutions, and that prayers must be held in clean places, along with others things. It is because of its importance that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has linked cleanliness to godliness in his Hadith as he said: “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

6. Mother and child health: vaccinations

Looking after the mother’s health before, during and after pregnancy requires undergoing a battery of tests and vaccinations; these measures also apply to the child to immunize it against a host of deadly and contagious diseases, such as tuberculosis, tetanus, whooping cough and paralysis. Most of the time, paying no heed to child vaccination at a certain period in its life can lead to many deaths in Third World countries, especially in rural areas and in marginalized districts where most people’s level of awareness of the importance of these vaccinations is inadequate. Likewise, if the woman does not undergo a set of tests that ought to be taken during the period when the embryo is developing, this may result in serious consequences that can be the cause of death of both the mother and the child.

Therefore, sensitizing the woman to the importance of these vaccinations in the life of her children through setting up purposeful health courses can spare the community many deadly and contagious diseases. 

7. Sexually transmitted diseases

One of the virtues of Islam is its proscription of unlawful sexual relationships, the reason being the avoidance of a number of diseases commonly known as “sexually transmitted diseases”. Some of these diseases can result in the birth of deformed children; others can lead to sterility or to certain death.

For women to learn the dangers of these diseases and at the same time to pass this knowledge on to their children and to warn them against the risks involved, they should be made aware of the hazards of the sexually transmitted diseases, of how they are transmitted and of the measures to be taken to avoid them.

Killer diseases -such as Syphilis, AIDS and others- are still very common, especially in poverty-stricken areas in spite of the awareness campaigns launched by most countries. It is therefore necessary to set up educational programs that can prompt individuals into taking preventive stands against this type of diseases amongst the target groups.

8. Home economics

Most of the time, women are entrusted with the responsibility of running their household daily business - a noble task, indeed, but a difficult one, too. Moreover. It requires special skills and qualifications, in addition to the three R’s. The more knowledgeable the woman is in these skills, the more trust, peace and happiness there will be in the home. This is why home economics should rest on the rationalization of expenses and on taking the necessary precautions not to exceed the amounts allocated for family expenditure on food, clothes and medicine, etc. within the budget earmarked for this purpose. In addition, women’s learning of the basic principles of saving will help solve urgent problems whose solutions require some money, or to overcome them altogether.

In this connection, it is worth pointing out that this aspect can also include preparing, cooking and serving meals, as well as other things that can contribute to the matrimonial and family happiness in general.

9. Woman as a productive element

Over the centuries, the woman has always been an active element especially in the rural milieu. In addition to her doing household chores and bringing up children, the woman works outdoors alongside the man. In the countryside, most of the woman’s time is spent gathering firewood, grazing and on various agricultural tasks. However, most of these tasks are performed with conventional means which have a negative impact on the woman’s productivity and on her image in front of the male and society. This has prompted participants in a symposium on “the Development of Rural Woman in the Arab World” to make the following recommendations:

- training rural women in how to operate farming equipment and in the use of the modern practical farming methods, in cattle raising, food industries and in sound child education.

- training rural women in skills such as those that would enable them to set up economic projects likely to yield additional revenues. 

This means that the woman is in dire need of an education that would enable her to adjust to the modern means utilized in economic productivity. Only this adjustment, and nothing else, would allow her to contribute effectively in development, especially that the progress of culture, science and technology takes place fast, and that the inability to control this progress and to keep abreast of it generally leads to the inability to compete and, consequently, results in a weak and failing productivity.

In this context, Fakhr-eddine al-Kalafi says: “The numerous studies carried out on the impact of education on development show that this education plays a significant part in the development and prosperity of societies or in their progress and advancement; that there is a close link between education and comprehensive development; and that in the absence of good adult education programs, the societies'need for energies becomes even greater. The relationship between adult education and development is a give-and-take relationship. Therefore, adult education is a necessary prop in the basic structure of the economy and development. It is also the pillar of social, political and cultural development. At the same time, this education is influenced in terms of quality and quantity by the level of development and its influential factors, and the possibilities it offers to everyone”(1).

10. Early Marriage

In some Third World countries, especially in rural areas, it has been observed that early marriage is common amongst females, who sometimes get married even before they come of age. Most of the time, the girl is pregnant before she is physiologically ready for it, which burdens her with marital and child responsibilities before she has reached biological, intellectual and psychological maturity that qualify her for assuming these responsibilities. Furthermore, the girl’s physiological immaturity can lead to complications in the mother’s health and that of the embryo. Worth pointing out is the fact that women marry without prior knowledge of the risks that might ensue from early marriage. In this connection, we quote a passage from a UNICEF document that reads: “early pregnancy which takes place before the age of eighteen or late pregnancy which occurs after the age of thirty-five increases health risks for both the mother and the child. For purely health reasons, it is advisable to avoid pregnancy before 18 years old, because the woman is physically not ready for this role. Experience has shown that the weight of babies born to young mothers of eighteen years of age is usually very light, and that the babies themselves are usually prone to die within the first year of their tender age; hence the necessity to delay pregnancy until the appropriate age when the girl becomes a physiologically mature wife”(2).

11. The dangers of endogamy

One very serious danger whose consequences the woman must be aware of is that resulting from endogamy. In many societies, namely in those where family bonds are strong (i.e. some Muslim and Arab communities), marrying into one’s own family is a common phenomenon. In some cases, this kind of marriage can result in deformities and diseases due to inoculations between hereditary diseases from both sides, the husband and the wife.

In the periodical Sihhatuka al-yum, one reads the following :

“In some families, certain diseases are common. One family might have many diabetics among its members; another might be plagued with early deaths; a third could be inflicted with cancer; and a fourth might have many blind or dumb members, or miscarrying might be very common among its women. Scientists explain these diseases and deformities as a combination of hereditary diseases from the fathers with their supplementary genes (from the mothers). The percentage of the combination of pathological genes rises with the increase of the cases of marriage from female relatives, and also with the increase of the degree of parenthood between the couple”(1).

12. Religious, moral and civil principles

There is another educational aspect that is no less important and which is usually overlooked when setting up special programs for educating women in many societies. It is that aspect which teaches women that they are full-fledged citizens who have rights and obligations, which will enable them to participate in development tasks, as well as in initiating development and investing its results. In his study on “Woman in Islam and Her Status in Islamic Society,” Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri says: “She has the right to lead an honorable life, to receive education, to own property, to run her business, to marry and to raise children. She is entitled to inheritance, work and social consideration”(2).

In this connection, Dr. Abdullah Abd-ad-Daim believes that the notion of adult education has become so broad in terms of its contents and objectives that it also includes “firing up political awareness, instilling a democratic spirit, the principles of Human Rights and civil development, and shaping the spirit of citizenship”(3).

Aspects of these principles are found in the Women Literacy Project launched in the State of Qatar, some of whose objectives are:

- Improving professional skills, work methods and productivity capabilities.

- Improving the level of citizenship and effective contribution in the progress of society and in the national and nationalistic general awareness.

- Underscoring religious and social awareness and giving children a good upbringing(1).

Examples of the objectives of the Iraqi plan for adult education, which also flow in the same direction, are:

- Mastering the three skills –reading writing and arithmetic.

- Turning these skills into means of developing the individual’s profession.

- Turning these skills into means of enhancing the individual’s cultural, social and economic life.

- Enabling citizens to discharge their general duties, on the one hand, and exercising their citizenship rights and honoring its commitments, on the other.

- Strengthening the citizens’ self-confidence and capabilities, and consolidating in them national, nationalistic, socialist and humane values both at work and in life(2).

The UAE Plan for Literacy and Adult Education has been set up along the lines of a wider notion of adult education, as defined earlier by Dr. Abdulla Abduddaim. The goals which the UAE Plan seeks to achieve for the citizen are as follows:

- Understanding the realities of the citizen’s own environment and community, appreciating its ways of life, and playing a positive role in supporting environment and community issues.

- Being proud of his religion, and acquainting himself with its lofty principles and thoroughly applying them in life.

- Acquiring the principles of the various professions, respecting them, and appreciating the significance of excelling in them and safeguarding them.

- Acquiring enough scientific knowledge and information that would enable one to understand oneself and one’s family, environment, milieu, Arab homeland and its relationship with the world at large.

- Fortifying the individual’s spirit of citizenship, and urging the citizen to participate effectively and purposefully in national projects(1).

In Morocco, a Women Education Program was set up recently under the auspices of the United Nations Population Fund, the purpose of which is to give girls a solid education in the field of reproductive health of both the girl and the pregnant woman. The project has been integrated within the women legal education in the fields of women’s rights, work and productivity, contribution to democratic life, and other matters(2).

Conclusion

From the foregoing, it becomes clear that the needs for women education are as numerous as they are varied, and that they have varied sources. It is extremely difficult to say that the aspects we have discussed are the only ones that express those needs. All we have attempted to do is to raise those issues that are closely linked to woman’s concerns, and which could make of her an effective element in the community, just like man - her natural partner in life. On this point, we are in total agreement with Ahmed Mokhtar M’bow (the former UNESCO Director General) who holds that it is necessary to activate all the energies in the society for a better life. M’bow says that it is clear that real development "can come only from an effort from within made by all the active forces in any nation. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that development should cover all aspects of life and all the energies of the society whose members, professional and social groups must all take part in the general effort and partake in its benefits"(1).