AN OVERVIEW AND UNDERSTANDING OF GENDER EQUALITY IN EDUCATION IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR
The focus of this paper is an overview and understanding of the gender equality ineducation in Jammu and Kashmir. Gender equality is the process of being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, strategies and measures should be available to compensate for women'shistorical and social disadvantaged. The central government, state government, NGO's and localbodies are jointly working for the promotion of women's education. The paper discussed to whatextent the central government, state government; NGO's and local bodies have achieved thegender equality in education and what are the challenges in promoting gender equality in the state?The objectives of this study included first, to understand and explore the women's level ofparticipation in education and to explore the barriers to women's education. The data used aretaken from the census of India, report from the education sector of Jammu and Kashmir andNational Human Development Report of India. The literacy rate and education of the women of Jammu and Kashmir is far lower than their counterparts and also lower than women at nationallevel. Poverty, ignorance of parents and lack of basic infrastructural facilities seem to be majorobstacles in the attainment of gender equity in education. The educational schemes anddevelopmental programmes seem have not helped to improve the condition of girls. There is anessential need to make serious efforts by government, not for profit organizations and other localbodies to augment the pace of development in education of the women of Jammu and Kashmir.