HYDERABAD, Feb 26: Research scholar Prof Marhab Qasimi gave presentation on “An Analytical Study of Female Education in Rural Sindh and its Impact on Socio-Economic Environment”, for her Ph.D degree at the department of economics, University of Sindh, on Tuesday.

Stressing the need for providing education and training facilities to women, the scholar observed it would improve women’s social and economic status.

She said education could reduce poverty and ensure fair income distribution, and social, demographic and political development.

About her research work, she said her objective was to formulate polices that could be adopted to address the low women literacy rate in the country.

She said her work provided analytical overview of the status of women education in the province and literacy rate in rural areas. She had also tried to explore issues like gender bias, socio-economic scenario, agriculture practices and socio-cultural values, the scholar added.

She said she had also conducted a case study of six villages — three villages each in Nawabshah and Sanghar districts.

About her findings, the scholar said women literacy rate in the province had significantly increased, specially in the past 10 years, which had contributed towards improving women’s status in the rural society. However, she added, the difference between men and women literacy rates still remained wide.

Prof Qasimi observed schooling of girls in “sample villages” was dependent on gender divisions, household incomes, parents’ attitudes, socio-cultural constraints, distance from school and family background.

She said resource constraints, ad hoc planning and poor implementation of educational policies were the impediments that deprived the majority of people of education. Due to inadequate transportation means, parents were reluctant to send their children to schools in far-flung areas. The low budgetary allocation for the education sector, coupled with inadequate teachers training programmes, were also the reasons for the low literacy rate, she added.