Image used for representational purposes only. ENS
For a change, something right is happening on the education front in Kerala with regard to gender relations. Many centuries-old schools and colleges catering exclusively to boys or girls, have now thrown open their doors to students of both genders. As many as 45 schools—both government and aided—have shifted to co-education this year. The oldest school that has turned co-ed is the Sree Moola Vilasam School in Thiruvananthapuram.
The 189-year-old school created history when it opened its doors for girls to study last year. Two prestigious colleges—St Berchmans College and Assumption College in Changanassery—too joined the league of co-ed institutions. There has been an increase in the number of applicants of the opposite gender in all these institutions. The student community and the management of the educational institutions are happy with the change. And this trend is bound to continue.
The trigger for this ongoing change was the Kerala State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights’ directive that schools exclusively for boys and girls should cease to exist from 2023-24 academic year. Maintaining that there is no need to teach boys and girls in separate schools in the existing social context, the order said that the best educational institutions in the word are co-ed.
This move is correct in the context of the RTE Act too, which had stated that it is obligatory for the government to provide free and compulsory elementary education to each and every child in a neighbourhood school within 1 km, up to class 8 in India. The Commission’s order was based on a petition in which the petitioner had argued that gender justice was denied in exclusive schools.
There are no two ways about the benefits of mixed education. The most basic and the most convincing reason for the relevance of co-ed school is that we live in a co-ed world. There have been enough and more international studies proving the benefits of co-ed schools. According to studies, mixed schools are instrumental in instilling mutual respect and ensuring gender equality.
Studying in these schools will also help in removing orthodox ideas and encourage boys and girls to respect the opposite gender. Boys and girls who are comfortable with opposite genders will adjust better in the adult world too. Exclusive gendered schools are certainly an anomaly in today’s world. On the other hand, co-ed schools, by nature, are more inclusive and egalitarian. They must be encouraged at all costs.
