SJIF Impact Factor (2023): 8.574| ISI I.F. Value: 1.241| Journal DOI: 10.

36713/epra2016 ISSN: 2455-7838(Online)

EPRA International Journal of Research and Development (IJRD)
Volume: 8 | Issue: 11 | November 2023 - Peer Reviewed Journal

CONTRIBUTION OF SAVITRIBAI AND JYOTIRAO PHULE IN

EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF WEAKER SECTIONS
IN INDIA

Amit Das1, Dr. Tarini Halder2

1
M.A in Education, Department of Education, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, India.
2
Professor, Department of Education, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, India.

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra14860

DOI No: 10.36713/epra14860

ABSTRACT
Savitribai Phule and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule were important social reformers and leading characters in India. Savitribai was the
first lady teacher of India’s first girl’s school. She was not only a teacher but also a great social reformer. She was a significant advocate
for women's empowerment and education in the nineteenth century. They were far ahead of nationalist discourse in weaker sections of
19th-century Colonial India. In this context, the researcher intends to focus on assessing the contributions of Savitribai and Jotirao
Phule to education and empowering the weaker sections of India. The study is a documentary study. It is also considered a qualitative
study. The study investigates Jotirao and Savitribai Phule's contributions to the education, empowerment, and self-reliance of
subjugated India's weaker sections. This paper is special emphasizes Women and backward-class people.
KEYWORDS: Social reformer, Empowerment, Nationalist, Women’s education, Weaker section.

INTRODUCTION
Mahatma Jotirao Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule stand out as an exceptional couple in India's social and educational history.
They were vigorously fighting to create a movement for social justice and gender equality. They devoted their entire lives to
promoting education because they understood that knowledge is power and that without it, women and Dalit-Bahujans could not
develop. They hold the distinction of founding the nation's first girls' school and the "Native Library." In India, they started the
"Literacy Mission" in 1854-55. They established a "shelter for the prevention of infanticide" at their home in 1863 for the protection
of abused Brahman widows who were pregnant and to care for these children. Savitribai Phule was a pioneer of women's education
in the country. Savitribai Phule was honored as the country's first female teacher. She works for the advancement of women and the
lower castes. Savitribai and Jyotirao raised their voices against the oppressive social system prevalent in the society of Pune
(Maharashtra) in the 19th century. Jotirao and Savitribai lived in a Dalit working-class neighborhood in Pune. The cultural
environment surrounding them had an extremely important role to play in their socialization. The school's headmistress, Savitribai,
has generously decided to dedicate her life to reforming backward classes and women’s education; she does this work without any
remuneration. Their contribution revolved around rationality and human reasons such as truth, equality, and humanity.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the study were:
• To assess the contribution of the Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule to women’s education.
• To examine the contribution of the Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule in empowering women.
• To study the contribution of the Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule to the education and welfare of backward classes.

RESEARCH QUESTION
The research question of the study was:
• What contribution of Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule to women’s education?
• What was the role played by Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule in women’s empowerment?
• What is the significant effect of the Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule on the education and welfare of backward classes?

METHODOLOGY
For the selection of the study, the present author selects Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule’s contributions to India. In contrast, education
and empowerment of India's weaker sections. This research work is historical research. The scientific process used to look into the
2023 EPRA IJRD | Journal DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra2016 | https://eprajournals.com/ |70 |
 SJIF Impact Factor (2023): 8.574| ISI I.F. Value: 1.241| Journal DOI: 10.36713/epra2016 ISSN: 2455-7838(Online)
EPRA International Journal of Research and Development (IJRD)
Volume: 8 | Issue: 11 | November 2023 - Peer Reviewed Journal

specifics and sources of historical events is known as historical research. Data was gathered from two main sources, namely the
biographies of Savitribai and Jyotirao as the only source of data gathering and the various books, journals, e-papers, and articles
written about Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule that were used as secondary sources. The two types of data are both of a qualitative
nature. Because of this, this research is a qualitative one.

LIFE SKETCH
Savitribai Phule
Savitribai Phule was a social reformer of the 19th century, born on January 3, 1831, in Naigaon, Satara district, Maharashtra. In
1840, at the age of 10, she was married to Jotirao Phule. Government documents show that after their marriage, Jotirao educated
Savitribai at home. The Education Report from 1 May 1851 to 30 April 1852 states that Jotirao educated and prepared his wife to
teach at home. According to a news story that was published in the “Bombay Guardian” on November 22, 1851, Jotirao's friends
Sakharam Yeshwant Paranjpe and Keshav Shivram Bhavalkar (Joshi) took responsibility for Savitribai's continued education.
Savitribai has also completed teacher training programs at Ms. Mitchell's Normal School in Pune and Ms. Farar's Institution in
Ahmednagar. If these documents are taken into account, Savitribai Phule may have been the first woman headmistress and teacher
in India. The headmistress of the school, Savitribai, has generously decided to dedicate her life to the reform of women’s education;
she does this work without any remuneration. He worked on various development projects for society's lower classes.

Published Books: Savitribai Phule was also an author and poet. She published various books. Some examples are below-
• Kavya Phule, 1854
• Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar, 1892
• Go, Get Education (an entitled poem)

Jyotirao Phule
He was born in Katgun, Satara District, Maharashtra, on April 11, 1827. He was uneducated, and the majority of his family came
from the Mali caste of gardeners. He married early, at the age of 13, to a girl from his community selected by his father. His
initiatives included eradicating untouchability and the caste system and educating women and caste members who were being
exploited. Later, the Phule created schools for kids from the Mahar and Mang untouchable communities. He founded a home for
pregnant Brahmin widows in 1863 so they could give birth in a safe environment. He started an orphanage to stop infanticide. In
this regard, he is regarded as the first Hindu to build an orphanage for destitute children. To show his inclusive attitude towards all
people and his willingness to eat with everyone, regardless of caste, Jyotirao decided to construct a communal bathing tank outside
his home in 1868. To secure equal rights for members of oppressed castes, he and his supporters established the Satyashodhak Samaj
(Society of Truth Seekers). Joining this group focused on the betterment of the disadvantaged classes and was open to people of all
religions and castes.

Published Books: More than 150 books have been written on Jotirao in Marathi. Along with books in Marathi, books have also
been published in Hindi, English, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi, Urdu, Sindhi, and Gujarati. Some examples are below-
• Tritiya Ratna, 1855
• Brahmananche Kasab, 1869
• Powada: Chatrapati Shivajiraje Bhosle Yancha, [English: Life of Shivaji, In Poetical Metre], June 1869
• Powada: Vidyakhatyatil Brahman Pantoji, June 1869
• Gulamgiri, 1873
• Shetkarayacha Aasud (Cultivator's Whipcord), July 1881

Role of the Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule in promoting Women’s Education

When Savitribai was still in her teen years, Jyotirao and Savitribai founded the first locally run school for girls in Pune (at the time,
Poona). In this situation, a friend extended a helping hand. To start their education, they also gave up their accommodations. The
school's first teacher was Savitribai Phule. This school includes a social studies, math, and science curriculum from the West.
Savitribai Phule, the headmistress of the school, decided to dedicate her life to women's education; She did not receive any
remuneration for doing this service. “Institutionalization” turned out to be modern India's fundamental premise. Jotirao-Savitribai
founded a school for native females. They organized the "Dakshina Prize" to increase participation in girls' education. With Jyotirao
Phule, she opened 18 schools for girls. Savitribai and Jyotirao strongly emphasized giving both boys and girls a trade and vocational-
oriented education to develop their independence and ability to think critically. They discovered that poverty and a lack of interest
in education were the main causes of the dropouts. She devised a curriculum tailored to the interests of girls from lower social
classes and made plans to pay the students a "wage." Savitribai Phule gave importance to the education of women to promote social
transformation.

2023 EPRA IJRD | Journal DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra2016 | https://eprajournals.com/ |71 |

 SJIF Impact Factor (2023): 8.574| ISI I.F. Value: 1.241| Journal DOI: 10.36713/epra2016 ISSN: 2455-7838(Online)
EPRA International Journal of Research and Development (IJRD)
Volume: 8 | Issue: 11 | November 2023 - Peer Reviewed Journal

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