Gender, Education and Women's Power: Indian state and civil society intersections in DPEP (District Primary Education Programme) and Mahila Samakhya

Abstract

This paper examines different understandings of gender equity and women's empowerment in two linked organisations, working in India to expand access and improve quality in primary education. Drawing on case study material from Bihar, the workings of two different, but linked programmes-the District Primary Education Programme and Mahila Samakhya (Women's Empowerment) are examined. The complementary achievements of the two organisations, representing different kinds of NGO, are highlighted. The paper concludes that social justice and educational transformation cannot be taken forward with only a single form of organisation, but the powerful interconnections of the two approaches are necessary.