Wednesday 2 May 2012

Co-education

                                                               Co-education

Co-education is defined as integrated education of males and females in the same institutions. It also means imparting same education to both sexes without any distinction. Western countries have no gender discrimination in any field of life. But in male dominated societies like that of ours, coeducation has been a controversial issue. Coeducation is becoming popular due to processes of modernization which are characterized by industrialization, urbanization education and incremental media exposure. There is a great realization that acquisition of education is important for every man and woman. So the controversy over coeducation is gradually subsiding.
According to proponents of coeducation, coeducation is an economical system which promotes competition and creates a sense of harmony among boys and girls by providing understanding of each other. However, the anti-coeducation camp argues that it may mislead boys and girls and distract them from studies. The truth ,however, lies somewhere in the middle. Coeducation carries benefits and opportunities as well as costs and risks.
            Let’s begin with the positive side of coeducation. Maintenance of separate schools for boys and girls is a costly affair this is particularly so in rural areas where even boys school suffer due to the want of students. It is also pointed out that most of village girls having passed their primary stage find it compelling to give up their studies for the want of a school. Coeducation saves resources of a country because both boys and girls can study in same institutions and they can be taught by same able staff.

Boys and girls have to live together in the society in their later lives and if they are taught together from the very beginning then they can understand each other well. Thus they’ll be able to get rid of unhealthy sex curiosity and craze from which most of boys and girls living in isolation suffer. The closer association of both would also help in creating an atmosphere of healthy competition. Therefore, they’ll work hard and pay serious attention to their studies. Both will try to work hard and do better in examination. This can surely help to raise educational standards.
Coeducation provides a good training to boys and girls to work together. While studying side by side in different classes they learn to cooperate for common aims or purposes for making a better society as equal citizens. It also helps to eradicate shyness of girls and makes boys more civilized.
Yet coeducation has some disadvantages. Firstly, boys and girls studying together may get more free than desirable in their dealings. Secondly, it’s contented that girls should receive different type of education because their spheres of activities are widely different.
This brings us to conclude that coeducation has merits and demerits as well. It provides low cost source of education and a system of competition. It allows cream of students to come the lime light. It has made women confident and enabled them to contribute for national development. It is possible to overcome demerits of coeducation by reducing it to mature level ---------university level only.

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