The Telangana government has a misogynistic directive in place since last year. It states that 'only' unmarried women are eligible to pursue education in the social welfare residential women's degree colleges in the state.
Incidentally, over 4,000 women are already studying in these hostels and they were ‘handpicked’ by their marital status.
This mind-numbing directive specifically states, "The TSWREIS invites applications from women (unmarried) candidates for admission into BA/B.Com/B.Sc 1st year degree courses for the academic year 2017-18."
When The Times of India contacted the officials, they validated the directive and said,
“The intention to ensure that other girls in the residential degree colleges do not get distracted because there is every possibility of husbands visiting their wives weekly once or in a fortnight. We do not want any kind of distraction among students.
The society secretary further defended this abhorring initiative by bringing in the angle of breaking the cycle of child marriage.
We don’t encourage married women, but at the same time won’t prevent them if they approach us for admission. Our intention is neither to deny nor hurt anyone’s feelings.
Turns out that the government has pulled this arbitrary decision from the university following social media backlash. Regardless, it was a sexist directive which should have never featured in the first place.
When, where and how a woman wants to study is none of the government’s business, it is the woman’s business. So, isn’t denying education to a married woman against our fundamental rights?
Let’s make choice popular again.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)