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| Dr. Ambedkar’s Philosophy of Education: Women Empowerment — A representative image. |
File Information
| Document Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | DR. AMBEDKAR’S PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION: RELEVANCE IN EDUCATION FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT |
| Article Credit | Jijnasa : A Journal of the History of Ideas and Culture, ISSN: 0337-743X, Vol.: 38, Issue: No. 6(IV), Year: 2021, (Pubd in: Academia.edu) |
| Author | Jintu Thakuria Dr. Phunu Das Sarma |
| Subject | This article examines Ambedkar’s educational philosophy and its relevance for women’s empowerment through equality, universal education, co-education, and social reform. It also discusses his influence on constitutional protections and educational opportunities for deprived sections of society. |
| Category | Journal article |
| Institution | Jijnasa : A Journal of the History of Ideas and Culture |
| Main Topics | Ambedkar’s philosophy of education, women empowerment, co-education, universal and free education, social equality and justice, Buddhist influences on education, Indian Constitution and women’s rights, education for deprived sections |
| Number of Pages | 8 |
| Language | English |
| File Type | |
| File Size | 144.2 KB |
Summary Note of this Document
DR. AMBEDKAR’S PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION: RELEVANCE IN EDUCATION FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
This article examines Dr. Ambedkar’s philosophy of education as a framework for women empowerment in India. It argues that education, for Ambedkar, was not merely a route to literacy or employment but a social instrument for liberty, equality, fraternity, justice and moral development. The authors connect his educational ideas to his criticism of caste hierarchy, gender bias, orthodox schooling and social oppression, showing how his thought was shaped by Buddhist concepts such as knowledge, character and compassion, as well as by John Dewey’s pragmatic emphasis on experience and social change. The paper gives special attention to Ambedkar’s support for universal, free and compulsory education, scholarships, technical education and co-education. It also discusses his insistence that women should receive equal prestige, economic independence and access to education, while noting his views on functional education and curriculum designed for social utility. A substantial section links these ideas to constitutional provisions associated with equality, non-discrimination, maternity relief, local self-government reservations and dignity for women. The article concludes that Ambedkar’s educational philosophy remains relevant to contemporary debates on gender-sensitive campuses, social justice, and the empowerment of deprived sections of society, including Dalits and women.
Core Themes
- education as social transformation
- gender equality and women’s emancipation
- caste oppression and social justice
- co-education and gender-sensitive learning
- Buddhist and pragmatic influences
- constitutional equality and rights
Keywords
About Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born in 1891 as the fourteenth and youngest child of an army Subedar in Mhow. Born into the Mahar caste, which was considered untouchable, Bhimrao faced many hardships at school. He had to sit on a gunny sack that he brought from home. He was not allowed to touch the water vessel or cup, so he could drink water only when the school peon was present to pour it for him. He later described this experience with the words, “No peon, no water.” His mother died when he was very young, and he had a difficult childhood. However, he was the only one of his siblings to pass his examinations and continue to high school, becoming the first person from his community to attend Elphinstone College. With a scholarship from the Maharaja of Baroda, he went on to study at Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He earned doctorates in economics and trained as a barrister at Gray’s Inn. According to the account supplied for this biography, his books were lost when his ship was torpedoed during the First World War.
Despite his education, Ambedkar continued to face prejudice. When he returned to India, he was required to work in Baroda but had to leave the position because of discrimination. His business providing investment consultancy failed when clients learned that he belonged to a community considered untouchable. While working as a professor in Mumbai, his colleagues objected to the idea of him sharing a water jug with his students. These experiences helped spur his activism. He established newspapers to give a voice to marginalized people. He led the Mahad Satyagraha, asserting Dalits’ right to collect water from a public tank, and publicly burned the Manusmriti in 1927. In 1932, he negotiated the Poona Pact with Mahatma Gandhi. Although it involved a difficult compromise, the pact provided reserved seats in legislatures for the Depressed Classes. Ambedkar was outspoken in public life but private by nature. His wife Ramabai died in 1935, and he filled his home in Bombay with a large personal library reported to contain more than 50,000 books. He declared, “I am born a Hindu, but I will not die as one.”
During the period of Indian independence, Jawaharlal Nehru invited Ambedkar to become India’s first Law Minister. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee that prepared the Constitution of India, which abolished the practice of untouchability and established civil liberties and constitutional safeguards, including reservations for historically oppressed communities. He acknowledged the contribution of other constitutional experts, including B. N. Rau, who had prepared an earlier draft. Because of his poor health, including diabetes, Ambedkar married Savita, a doctor who cared for him. In October 1956, he converted to Buddhism in Nagpur along with a vast gathering of followers, commonly estimated at around half a million. He died in his sleep just weeks later, shortly after completing his final major work, The Buddha and His Dhamma. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1990. His message, “Educate, agitate, organise,” continues to inspire people seeking equality and social justice.
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