Until relatively recently, educational research in developing countries has focused mainly on issues of access for addressing gender inequalities in education. This paper argues that challenging patriarchal relations in schooling and education requires moving beyond access to understanding the ways the curriculum acts as a set of discursive…

The education of females is one of the best investments that a country can make in its future, because it enables the country to draw more fully on all of its human resources for national development. In 1981, 26.2% of the population of Pakistan above the age of 10 was literate. The literacy rate was 35.1% for males compared to 16% for females,…

Exposure to industrialization, urbanization, and commercial activities in the past 45 years has improved attitudes towards women in Pakistan, but they are still considered subordinate to men and the property of parents or husband. Traditional social values do not allow women full integration and participation in social and economic activities.…

In rural Pakistan, agricultural land is owned by men and they use family labor, including women. Women usually transact no cash from cradle to grave. There is no social support for high achievement in their lives. The illiteracy rate among women is very high, especially in rural areas, where only 7.3 percent of women are literate. Poor…

Five study papers by educators from India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand focus on: (1) policies and strategies in the implementation of universalization of education; (2) current policies and strategies in the preparation of teachers; and (3) recommendations for teachers in the universalization of education. Each of these elements…