What is the importance of education? And how women education is helpful for the wellbeing of society?

Education is a key part of strategies to improve individuals well-being and societies economic and social development. Education plays a key role in development of a nation. Pakistan is facing awful problems in education sector. Only 2% of GDP is given to education. Enrollment rates in primary schools are miserable. The situation of public sector schools is not good. Overall literacy rate is about 55%. But when one talks about girls education, the tale is bleaker (theta rhythm). Gender parity index is 0.65. It means that for every 100 literate men, there are only 65 educated women. Common trend in the society is that girls are not preferred to complete their studies and more attention is given to their early marriage as compare to boys. Which is actually an old conception and that needs to be change. Klasen (2002) showed that gender inequality in education affects directly as the low participation of females causes shortage of human capital which negatively affects economic growth while on the other hand an indirect effect can also be explained through its impact on population growth and investment level(). A number of studies have been conducted to highlight the need and role of female education for economic growth in Pakistan While talking about education of women; it gains more importance because women play a vital role in training and educating the younger generation. Apart from this if women are well-educated; they can claim their equality in the society and can become masters of their own fate. So it can be said that women education can gear up total economy of a country in many ways. Pakistans economy is already weak and it needs energy and innovation to regain strength. Moreover, Pakistan also requires all of its members to work sincerely and equally to provide it a force for growth. That is why, educating women of Pakistan is now more important than before. Education will not only enable women to fare well domestically, but it will allow them to rid their families of poverty also. At present, two contradictory forces shape education for women: The political and The economic transformation caused by the collapse of the communist system resulted in deep changes in the labor market. It has also affected mentality of the youth. Sociological studies show that teenagers of the 1990s, both male and female, are practical and career oriented. They understand the reality of the new system, its competitive nature, the social and ethical structure based on two categories "winners and losers," and most importantly, the growing need for business professionals. In many Pakistan, the youth is highly demotivated by mass of unemployment. Young generation often treat education as a formality and only as a tool needed in the struggle for survival or status. The Millennium Development Goals and Female Education The U.N. Millennium Summit, held in September 2000, produced a set of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which include Empowering women. Two of the goals deal specifically with female education and womens empowerment. Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education. Target: Ensure that, by 2015, all children, boys and girls alike, will have access to a full course of primary education. Indicators for this goal: the net enrollment ratio in primary education; the proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach grade 5; and the literacy rate of 15-to-24-year-olds. Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women. Target: Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and at all levels of education no later than 2015. Indicators for this goal: the ratio of girls to boys in primary, secondary, and tertiary education; the ratio of literate

females to males among 15-to-24-year-olds; the share of women in wage employment in the nonagricultural sector; and the proportion of seats in national parliament held by women. Educations importance has been emphasized by a number of international conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, recognized that womens literacy is key to empowering womens participation in Decision making in society and to improving families well-being. In this regard many steps ought to be taken. Society has to reform itself to give women equal status like men. If all the girls of Pakistan are educated from now, future will be very bright for not only Pakistani women, but for Pakistan as well. Objectives: When education is given to a female fertility, population growth, and infant and child mortality fall and family health improves. Increases in girls secondary school enrollment are associated with increases in womens participation in the labor force and their contributions to household and national income. Womens increased earning capacity, in turn, has a positive effect on child nutrition. Educated women are more politically active and better informed about their legal rights and how to exercise them.