Lifelong learning and Gender Equality through Distance Education

Geetika Singh Academic Officer (Management) -Jammu & Kashmir State Board of School Education Email : geetika1475@gmail.com ,
09419173496

commitment to : Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women. In 2001 in Dakar, participants in the World Education participants in the World Education Forum committed themselves to achieving a 50 percent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults.. Lifelong learning is loosely defined as the continuous acquisition of skills and knowledge through both formal and non-formal learning opportunities. The emergence of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Systems are directly linked with the issues of life long learning and

Learning is a lifetime process, beginning with the universal experience of socialization within the family, from the cradle to the tomb. More than 40 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserted that everyone has a right to education. Declaring the goal of basic education for all for the first time in history an attainable goal, the World Conference on

has implications for empowering people , especially women .

The paper explores the role of distance education in creating lifelong learners in relation to the complex and multidimensional concept of gender equality, specifically with respect to the state of J&K.

Education for All in April 1990, affirmed the right to education for all. India had been trying to Keywords:Learning , Gender equality, Lifelong learning , open & distance education ,J&K INTRODUCTION

extend the reach of education to larger sections of its society by making Education a fundamental right. Gender equality means that males and females have equal opportunities to realize their full human rights and potential and contribute to and benefit from economic, social, cultural, and political development. It does not mean that women and men have to become the same, but that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities do not depend on whether they are born male or female.At the Millennium Summit in 2000 ,the 189 member states of the United Nations made a

Education has been the main instrument of human development emphasized and its importance has been rights,

through

fundamental

principles, statutes in a number of countries. According to Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations 1948):Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional

education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. Similarly, at World Education Forum Dakar,Senegal, April 2000, the framework for action was developed according to which goals for international communities were defined and these are:expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and

(EFA).MDG3: Promote gender equality and empower women. Target: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and to all levels of education no later than 2015. Today, education in India stands at the crossroads. Neither normal linear expansion nor the existing pace and nature of improvement can meet the needs of the vast population for literacy. The catalytic action of Education in this complex and dynamic growth process needs to be planned meticulously and executed with great sensitivity. Even though a large number of policies have been adopted to make Education For All goals at the primary, elementary and secondary level come true in the Indian context , there is still a large percentage which gets left out very large percentage of them being women who cannot make the transition to higher education due to various constraints. According to the most recent 2001 census data, women account for 48.26% of the 1028.6 million population of India. About 27% of these are 15-29 years old. The literacy rate among women has improved from 7.83% in 1951, to 54.16% in 2001.However, there remain still 228 million women considered to be illiterate

education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children;ensure that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good

quality;ensure that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills

programmes;achieve a 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults;eliminate gender

(http://www.censusindia.net ). Only 6% of women who completed secondary education (35% of the total population who enrolled in Class 1) entered higher education. It is clear therefore that a large number of women are still outside the existing higher education system in India. Data show that women in India represent about 50% of the adult population, but only 33% of the labour force. They perform nearly 66% of all working hours,

disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieve gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality education. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) passed by the UN General Assembly in a special session in the fall of 2000, further strengthening international for All

commitments

towards

Education

receive only 10% of the world average income, and own less than 1% of property. Very few research studies have been conducted on the linkages between lifelong learning , ODL systems and gender equality. A general finding from a brief review of these studies indicates that more women have recently achieved getting their first job - mostly in education as teaching faculty and most of them were married (Mclntosh, 1973).Kanwar (1995) stressed the need for increasing the upward mobility of women in distance education institutions. Meanwhile women students continue to face problems while studying through the ODL system. Rathore et al (1996) revealed that lack of student support system creates problems for women learners in ODL system. Bhalalusesa (2001) found that there are factors like the faraway locations of the study centres that make studying more difficult for women than men.Taplin (2000) found that the female students reported severe bottlenecks in pursuing their studies due to their social commitments, and a similar finding was visible through their academic results. Sharma (1996) argues for empowerment of women - and not concessions to women - through increased effective use of the distance education system. Studies by Woodley (1995) and by Gaba (1999) have found that the career paths of graduates have been markedly changed after completion of their respective programmes. Taplin & Jegede (2001) found that most students studied through the ODL system for self-satisfaction and for this improved employment status. The paper is divided into four sections in section I , we discuss the larger encompassing issue of lifelong learning and its increased relevance in the

changing global village of today. The section II explores the concept of open and distance learning as a effective instrument for making lifelong learning a reality for a large section of the population especially women. In section III we try to talk about how lifelong learning can take place through ODL systems to empower women leading to gender equality in the context of equality of opportunity to learn at any point of time in life. Section IV talks about the peculiar case of women literacy in J&k and problems faced by women in J&K to pursue higher education due to a host of socio economic and cultural factors. Finally in section V we talk about the practical suggestions that can be incorporated to use ODL systems in J&K to bring about a semblance of gender equality in access to education for women so that lifelong learning becomes a reality.The paper explores the role of distance education in creating lifelong learners in relation to the complex and multidimensional concept of gender equality, specifically with respect to the state of J&K.

SECTION I. Education for all and Lifelong Learning Entwined with the concept of education for all EFA is the concept of lifelong learning. To tackle the enormous challenges of EFA, non-formal education (NFE) should also play an important role in coordination with formal schooling.By means of flexible programmes in combination with other development activities, NFE can meet the needs of people in disadvantaged situations needs that cannot be met by the formal school system alone. In addition, due to the rapid changes in society (ICT) and the global economy, education cannot be limited to formal schooling,

but should expand to become a lifelong activity using both formal and non-formal, as well as informal, modes of learning. Lifelong learning is activated today as the key organising principle for education and training systems, and for the building of the knowledge society.Lifelong learning acknowledges

country

like

India

having and

varied

social,

educational, standards

economical demands the

developmental and

exploration

implementation of innovative ways to provide lifelong learning opportunities to every citizen. ODL technologies present numerous possibilities to fulfill the promise of lifelong learning for all in India. The first characteristic of lifelong learning is that it encompasses both formal and non-

essentially two inter-related facts: (a) learning is lifelong (not confined to a particular period in life, from the womb to the tomb); and (b) learning is lifewide (not confined to school but taking place everywhere: home, community, playground,

formal/informal types of education and training. Formal learning includes the hierarchically

workplace, sports yard, mass media, through play, conversation, debate, reading, writing, teaching, problem solving, social participation, social service, travel, use of ICTs, and so on). Lifelong learning is the continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an individual. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime. These experiences could be formal or informal. Lifelong learning, also known as LLL, is the "lifelong, voluntary, and selfmotivated" pursuit of knowledge for either

structured school system that runs from primary school through the university and organized school-like programs created in business for technical and professional training. Whereas informal learning describes a lifelong process whereby individuals acquire attitudes, values, skills and knowledge from daily experience and the educational influences and resources in his or her environment, from family and neighbors, from work and play, from the market place, the library and the mass media.The second common theme of lifelong learning is the importance of selfmotivated learning. There is a heavy emphasis on the need for individuals to take responsibility for their own learning. Lifelong learners are,

personal or professional reasons. As such, it not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development, and but also

competitiveness

employability.Lifelong

Learning is the provision or use of both formal and informal learning opportunities throughout people's lives in order to foster the continuous development and improvement of the knowledge and skills needed for employment and personal fulfillment. It shares mixed connotations with other educational concepts such as Adult

therefore, not defined by the type of education or training in which they are involved, but by the personal characteristics that lead to such

involvement.Self-funded learning is the third characteristic of the lifelong learning literature. The concept of self-funded learning is linked to the characteristic of self motivated learning. In recognition of the costs involved in subsidising lifelong involvement in education and training, the lifelong learning policy agenda emphasises the

Education,

Training,

Continuing

Education,

Permanent Education and other terms that relate to learning beyond the formal educational system. A

responsibility of individuals to finance their own continuing education and training with minimal support from government. The fourth distinctive feature of the lifelong learning policy literature is a commitment to universal participation in education and training. In advocating 'lifelong learning for all', the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) argues that universal participation is necessary for meeting the economic demands of the 21st century. The concept of universal participation includes both informal and formal learning for all purposes - social, economic and personal. The importance of Lifelong Learning/Education has been repeatedly stressed in several educational policy documents and discourses in India. While the Report of the Education Commission (196466) observed that education does not end with schooling but is a lifelong process ; the National Policy on Education in India - 1986 (modified in 1992) considered Lifelong Education as the cherished goal of the educational process which presupposes universal literacy, provision of opportunities for youth, housewives, agricultural and industrial workers and professionals to continue the education of their choice at the pace suited to them. It observes that the critical development issue is the continuous upgradation of skills so as to produce manpower resources of the kind and the number required by the society.

implies essentially the right to learn and to learn throughout life. The state has an obligation to ensure equal learning opportunities for all, within and beyond the school system, at all ages.this is where Open and Distance learning is bring about a silent revolution in the equitable access to educational opportunities irrespective of gender , age or time or place. Open and distance learning is defined by the Commonwealth of Learning as a way of providing learning opportunities that is characterized by the separation of teacher and learner in time or place, or both time and place; learning that is certified in some way by an institution or agency;the use of a variety of media, including print and electronic; two-way

communication that allows learners and tutors to interact; the possibility of occasional face-to-face meetings; and a specialized division of labour in the production and delivery of courses.Open and Distance education is a branch of education where teachers and students are separated in terms of place and time. They communicate at times of their own choosing by exchanging printed or electronic media, or through technology that allows them to communicate in real time and through other online ways. In other words, distance learning is the process of creating an educational experience of equal quality for the learner to best suit their needs outside the classroom. Distance education courses that require a physical onsite presence for any reason

SECTION II Open and distance learning systemsToday , the right to education can no longer be understood as the right to access the school system (and eventually complete a certain number of years of schooling). The right to education

(including taking examinations) is considered a hybrid or blended course of study. With the recent trend of technological advance, distance learning is becoming more recognized for its potential in providing individualized attention and

communication with students internationally.

Initially, developed countries were practicing distance education but off late developing countries have also gone for distance education in a big way. Open Education is considered as very effective for societies like India, where literacy and education levels are low. More over the system and its features are inclusive in nature. India tried its level best to provide free and compulsory education to all its citizens but it could not achieve its target in the last 60 years of its independence. It becomes a tough task to provide higher education with its limited recourses. In this context the distance education has emerged as an alternative model to the conventional education system.India has emerged as one of the biggest centre of distance education in the world.Open Education is considered as very effective for societies like India, where literacy and education levels are low. Since open learning system in India adopts multimedia approach learner can study the course material, watch audio visual programmes related to their courses in his own pace and place. To seek further help or information they can attend the counseling sessions in nearby study centers during the weekends. This facility helps the learners who work for their livelihoods.The examination and evaluation system also gives greater flexibility for the learners. Thus the Open University system in India came in to existence with a popular slogan Education at your door step literally brought higher education closer to the people.Second important factor for the success of open learning system in India is its Cost effectiveness. Education in the Open University is cost effective not only to the students but also to the institution. A student can gain while he is earning and learn

according to his convenience and interest.Access in terms of reach, particularly geographical distance is another advantage of ODL. Providing education to all in a country like India in conventional methods is proved as a difficult task because huge population live in a vast

geographical regions. In such a situation ODL made the access of higher education simple to the learners through study centers covering all the geographical areas. Thus the flexibility in terms of study, greater access compared to conventional education systems and the multi media teaching learning package and the cost effectiveness attracted millions of people. It resulted in the equity, diversity and inclusiveness with in the society.The reasons for the emergence and fast popularity of ODL are manifold.The flexibility in terms of time, pace, place, age, occupation certainly gives a new hope and fresh life to thousands of learners who were the victims of the Indian rigid traditional education system. At the school level , NIOS or national institute of Open schooling is providing ODL solution to lakhs of students while at the higher education level , IGNOU (indira Gandhi National Open University , BRAOU , YCMOU)just to name a few are providing lifelong learning options to people . SECTION III. Gender equality Gender equality is equality between men and women and entails the concept that all human beings, both men and women, are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. Gender equality means that the different behaviour, aspirations and needs of women and men are considered, valued, and

favoured equally. It does not mean women and men have to become the same but that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female.1 In other words, gender refers to socially constructed roles and responsibilities assigned to women and men in a given location and the social structures that support them, all of which are subject to change over time.The purpose of looking at gender is not to divide women and men, causing conflict between them. Rather, it draws our attention to those issues that have brought about unequal relations, and allows us to address these issues with appropriate measures that will help reduce rather than perpetuate inequality. Thus, the concept of gender helps to focus on growth in terms of the equitable distribution of benefits between women and men, equality of power relations between them and, most of all, the partnership between them in any field of development.The emphasis on gender equality and womens empowerment does not presume a particular model of gender equality for all societies and cultures, but reflects a concern that women and men have equal opportunities to make choices. Because of current disparities, the equal treatment of women and men is insufficient as a strategy for gender equality. Equal treatment in the context of inequalities can result in the perpetuation of disparities.Achieving gender equality requires changes in institutional practices and social relations through which disparities are reinforced and sustained.There are four main dimensions of gender equality outlined in the Millenium development framework: equality of access, equality in the

learning process, equality of educational outcomes, and equality of external results Gender equality through Open and Distance Learning ODL is a source of progress and development for women. Marriage has and will always be a a terminal point for women education after

secondary level especially in rural areas. It was believed among educated men that little education was sufficient for women just to make them

literate. It was believed that educated women would not be submissive to their husbands, and hence women education met with resistance in terms of financial and moral support from their husbands. Today, ODL has brought succour to the women education and subsequent empowerment. Women can aspire to reach any level in their education through ODL programmes. It is worthy of note that despite the ample opportunities through ODL, there are still millions of women who are still illiterates due to ignorance, cultural hindrances and poverty in urban, rural and remote areas of the country. ODL has played significant roles in accelerating women education and subsequently women empowerment. ODL has created opportunities for women to squeeze time out to learn and further their education. It also created opportunities for women to up-grade their qualifications and skills at reasonable intervals. ODL is a veritable instrument in bringing social and economic transformation of women. Distance Education can surely fill up the vacuum created by on campus studies especially for women. Distance education is being considered as a favorite option by majority of women folk because it is accessible. Women can study what they want and also from where they want. It is their own

prerogative. Moreover ODL is advantageous because it is flexible. Women can study when they want, completing course work on their schedule, rather than that of college.ODL is being considered as a good option for those women who want to meet their personal and professional goals simultaneously.ODL has the potential to alleviate or remove some of the barriers or constraints that prevents women and girls from accessing

knowledge around the world.ODL provides various types and levels of education to be acquired by the women. Flexibility of access and study times and the potential to reach women in rural areas or women facing social barriers that limit their access to schools, make distance learning via ICT a promising educational

approach for women.ODL may open economic opportunities especially for Muslim women, since in their culture, Muslim women are expected to stay at home and are not permitted to have face to face contact with men other than close family, or to travel. In such cases, telephones, computers and the internet allow women to telecommute and hence work and interact with men without face to face contact and even without being in the same place.

educational opportunities such as illiteracy, poverty, time scarcity, socio cultural factors, mobility and relevancy, leading to women empowerment and gender equality. The only lacunae in this field leading to lack of

participation of women are the restricted access to the technology, basically lack of skills in using computers and lack of information.If used in the right manner, ODL can become the tool for womens active participation in improving their situations. Simple access to information and improved communications can end the isolation of women and promote improved health, access to reproductive services, economic growth as well as alleviate poverty.ODL can serve as an opportunity to overcome some of these key barriers. However initiatives have to be designed specifically for women and awareness needs to be generated among women on the advantages of ODL and their potential to address specific problems faced by them.Women need to be encouraged to enable them to make use of ODL in improving their educational status. Positive discrimination or Affirmative action in favor of girls in provision of ODL facilities needs to be explored. With its ability to overcome geographical boundaries and relatively low access costs, ODL has

SECTION IV. The Case of Jammu & Kashmir The State of Jammu and Kashmir has a peculiar topography which is a hindrance in achieving the desired goal of complete literacy . The network of schools is spread sparsely/thinly and the majority of populace lives in far flung and inaccessible areas, countenance many problems like easy access to institutions, lack of infrastructure, weather vagaries etc. To add to that has been the problem of militancy which has taken its toll on the acceibility to education in certain pockets of the state. Women constitute about 47% of the total population in J&K. The literacy rate of J&K is 55.52% with male literacy of 67% and female literacy of 43% (census 2001) and as per BPL survey 2008 the literacy rate of J&K is 64.18 with male literacy of 72.32% and female literacy of

revolutionalized the transfer of information and

55.35%.Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in classes (1 to VIII) is 74.45% in J&K as against 93.54% at all India Level. Dropout rate for classes (I-X) is 53.75% as compared to 61.92% at National Level. Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) at Primary level is 1:34 in the State as against 1:46 at National Level. Similarly, the PTR at Upper Primary Level is 1:16 in the State as against 1:35 at National Level. On an average one lakh population is catered to by 153 Elementary Level Schools as against 97 such schools at National Level._ In Secondary/Higher Secondary Education there are 13 schools per lakh population as against 14 schools at National Level. On an average, one University in the State caters to the educational needs of 11.80 lakh of population as against 27.4 lakh at National level. Similarly, one college caters to the educational requirements of 2.12 lakh of population as against 1.04 lakh at National level.J&K has a lower literacy rate than the all-India level of 68.64 per cent; the difference in the male-female literacy rates here is also a whopping 20.25, higher than even Bihar, where the literacy indicators are the lowest at a rate of 63.82 per cent, so is the gender gap at 20.03 per cent points. Women development, no doubt, has been part of the development planning in the state since the inception of five year plans but the shift in approach from welfare to the development of women took place in the 6th Plan onwards. But despite so many positive outcomes in the successive plans and the progress made over the past 60 years, female literacy has remained very low in J&K State as compared to men. Gender disparity in literacy in J&K is historical

Gender differential exist both in Rural and Urban areas but it is high in Rural areas. The harsh terrain of the State in majority of the areas , socio religious bottlenecks , lack of access to schools, parents feeling insecure about sending girl children to schools, their engagement in

agricultural and other domestic activities etc, early marriage of girls , unwillingness of parents and inlaws to allow the women to continue education after secondary level , lack of awareness and lack of motivation incentives

being provided by the government agencies and civil society to promote continuation of education by girls and women through distance mode have been some of the factors which have resulted in a high gender gap especially after higher secondary stage .

SECTION V. SUGGESTIONS Keeping in view the difficult terrain of the various regions of the state of J&K be it Kashmir , Ladakh or some regions of Jammu division, the

heterogenous religious and cultural environment in which the women live and other constraints socio economic and religious, various strategies can be developed to make ODL systems as vehicle for lifelong learning for women in j&k thereby improving the gender equality ratio in access and delivery of Education at a higher education stage by especially focussing on vocational and skill related areas. 1. J&K being a tourism intensive state , special tourism and hospitality centric can be

diploma/certificate programmes

phenomenon. The female literacy in the State is only 43%. The gender gap in literacy is 23%.

developed by Open universities in india which will allow women access to gainful

employment in front office management , opening of tourist / travel agencies , opening of hotels and restraints. Such programmes will definitely find favour with areas like Ladakh which has a large influx of foreigners as tourists , Kashmir and pilgrimage tourism pockets in jammu region. 2. Moreover with a large number of foreign tourists visitng the state especially ladakh and Kashmir foreign language courses through ODL systems can help women to enhace their employability skills to gain self sustenance. 3. Horticulture being the most important sector after tourism in the state , the ODL bodies in india can join hands with the agricultural universities and Home science departments of Higher education in the state to develop distance learning packages especially for women focussing on setting up of nurseries , food processing & pickling , commercial vegetable production. 4. ODL systems can target again a huge chunk of the female population who have studied till higher secondary stages , but then got married early due to parental and societal pressures. They may not want to increase their

Computer Literacy Programme, Motor Cycle Service & Repair, IT Service Management, School Services Management, Publishing Services Manufacturing Business Retail Management, Services Garment Management, Development, Security

Entrepreneurship Services

Management,

Services (Advanced), Desk Top Publishing, Communication Skills, Garment Stitching, Retail Marketing, Security Services (basic) for Security Supervisor, Security Services(basic) for Assistant Security Officer, Security Guard Protection, Security Supervisor, Awareness Programme on Value Added Products from Fruits & Vegetables, Dairy Farming for Rural Farmers, Awareness-cum-Training Packages in Disability for parents and Family Visual

members(Mental

Retardation,

Impairment, Hearing Impairment & Cerebral Palsy), Foundation Course on Education of Children with Disability,certificate in bee keeping , certificate in food processing. 6. Jammu and Kashmir having a very large percentage of female muslim population also has another group of women who have been denied access to qualitative education due to purdah. The use of ICT in ODL systems is a boon for this section of women to contribute to her own quota to self and national development. 7. The itinerant nomadic women gujjars and bakarwals in our state can also benefit from this ODL revolution. Mobile telephony , radio broadcasts can help girls from these

qualification but want to use the skills which they have been taught as girls or is part of the family craft -like horticulture , carpet weaving & shawl making , Embroidery , bakery , bee keeping , food processing at cottage level , cattle rearing , tailoring and beauty to earn a respectful living and become economically independant with these home skills. 5. ODL systems like IGNOU can provide the platform for women to fulfil these dreams with programs like - certificate/diploma courses in

communities to study while moving along with their families. ODL systems can also help them to get formal education in their family

trades or nomadic practices-such as certificate programmes in dairy farming and cattle rearing. The mobile phone would not only help in the learning process but would also support the goat-rearing enterprise in terms of animal management and marketing

or citizen. ODL systems can bring about a revolution a state like J&k by foccussing on areas which will allow women to utilise their human potential

REFERENCES

: :Women Professional and

management 8. Women can be encouraged to continue education after secondary level, after marriage , after children , in adverse situations by providing fee waive off or scholarships to women who successfully complete their education or enhance their education level through ODL bodies. 9. Distance education bodies and agencies can collaborate and use panchayat centers and anganwadis as centers to promote community learning for women of a specific area.

1. Ashok Kumar GABA Empowerment through

Technical education Programmes : A Case Study of IGNOU 2. Aslam M : scope of open and distance

learning in J&k state 3. Burge Elizabeth and Helen Lenskyj. "Women Studying in Distance Education: Issue$ and Principles". Journal of Distance Education, Vol. V(i). Spring 1990, pp. 20-37. 4. Janaki, D. : pcf4- (2006) Empowering women through distance learning in India Literacy: A Potent Tool for Women Empowerment 5. Jakkamal, P 2009, Open and distance Leaning and Lifelong Learning: Paper Reaching in the 17th Unreached, presented

CONCLUSION

The concept of lifelong learning stresses that learning and education are related to life as a whole - not just to work - and that learning throughout life is a continuum that should run from cradle to grave. Gender is a concept that deals with the roles and relationships between women and men. These roles and relationships are determined by socio-cultural,

Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers Stakeholders Forum 6. K. Balasubramaniana*, P. Thamizolib, Abdurrahman

Umara, and Asha Ka :Using mobile phones to

promote lifelong learning among rural women in Southern India 7. Purnendu TRIPATHI, & Siran MUKERJI: Access and Equity to Education in India through Synergy of Conventional and ODL Systems: A Step towards Democratization of Education 8. Qadir BUKHSH:Empowerment of women through distance education in Pakistan. 9. Renu NANDA - Issues and challenges for Non Formal Education -A case study of Indira

religious,political and economic factors, not by biology. ODL creates opportunities for women education today to learn throughout their life time. Education given to a woman is unquantifiable, the spillover effect of women education on children, families, communities and the nation cannot be over-stressed. An educated woman is a better mother, wife, social mobilizer

Gandhi National open University (IGNOU) With Reference to J&K State 10. Sudarshana Rana :Policy Perspective and

Controlling Agencies for Distance Education in India 11. Sushmita Mitra : Gender and Open

Schooling in India -, National Institute of Open Schooling, New Delhi 12. Walter Sukati :Role of Distance Education

in Gender Equality and in Empowering Women- A Case Study of the Institute of Distance Education , Institute of Distance Education, University of Swaziland 13. Zeynep Varoglu :life long learning and

education from a gender perspective 14. Census of india 2001 15. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: learning. 16. Task Force on Education and Gender Equality UN MDP document retieved from internet on 22nd feb 2012 17. Taking action: achieving gender equality and empowering womenCommonwealth of policy brief on lifelong

learning document document retieved from internet 18. Gender Equality in Basic Education and Lifelong Learning through Community learning powerpoint retrieved from internet on 29th feb 2012