To gain the academic engagement of a student is one of the world’s most difficult tasks. The important thing to remember is that there are no quick fixes. Student achievement is directly affected by many factors, and top on the list, is the aspect of confidence. Young girls, especially in rural India and in the smaller towns, lack the confidence that education calls for.

All the role models or special approaches to pedagogy in the world will not take us very far if there is no attention to these more broadly societal, less education-specific requirements. Every teacher in India must realize that despite all the media’s hysterical outpourings on gender equality, women in India suffer from a deep-seated inferiority complex. So before trying to get students to excel, teachers need first and foremost to remove the “I-can’t-do-it” handcuffs that cripple young girls, especially in smaller towns.

Serena Bevin sent us this enlightening piece, which we are glad to reproduce.