Education as Emancipation: Nehru's vision of Education as a Catalyst for Social Inclusion, Empowerment, and National Transformation

In his letters and speeches, Jawaharlal Nehru rightly argues that there should not be any break with the past but past should also not be allowed to dominate the present. One can find through his letters and speeches that he was an ardent advocate of education for Indian youth believing it essential for future progress.”1 Similarly, regarding women’s education, he believed that to have a self-sufficient stable India after Independence it was essential to ensure women’s rights and to promote their education. In his address at the Prayag Mahila Vidyapitha in 1934, he stated: “How can our children grow up into self-reliant and efficient citizens of India if their mothers are not themselves self-reliant and efficient?” Therefore, he tried to ensure that Indian women had the legal backing they needed to step out on their own and break the mold Indian social customs had shaped. Not only this, the constitution of India contains Nehru’s philosophy which contains some important facets. Guaranteeing religious equality and freedom to all minorities in India, was one of the significant attributes. The current paper discusses Nehru’s views on women’s education, his vision about the social changes brought about by education, his views and suggestions for the upliftment of the backward classes through education, by throwing light on his letters and speeches.