“There may be countries [where] there's no gender inequality in schooling, even in higher education, but [where there is] gender inequality in high business. Japan is a very good example of that. You might find cases in the United States where at one level women's equality has progressed tremendously. You don't have the kind of problem of higher women's mortality as you see in South Asia, North Africa, and East Asia, China, too, and yet for American women there are some fields in which equality hasn't yet come.” KindMayCountryStatesProblemMightLevelsUnitedCasesUnited StatesExampleFieldsHigherSouthVery GoodChinaGenderEastInequalityJapanMortalityAsiaSchoolingHigher EducationGood ExamplesAmerican WomanGender InequalityNorth AfricaSouth AsiaEast Asia Author:Amartya Sen
“There's absolutely no reason why at the level of basic schooling that there should be any inequity whatsoever. And [that's] the first direction to go, [but] that need not prevent you from doing all the other equalities that you want.” WantNeedsShouldFirstsReasonLevelsReason WhyNo ReasonSchooling Author:Amartya Sen
“Even in areas like the most depressed region of India in terms of female education, namely Rajasthan, which has [one of] the lowest female literacy [rates] in India. Even there, 80 to 90 percent of the parents would like their girls to go to school. And indeed, about 80 percent would like them to be made compulsory.” MadeSchoolGirlParentTermPercentAreasFemaleIndiaRateRegionsLowestLiteracyCompulsoryFemale Education Author:Amartya Sen
“Across the world, in Africa, Asia, Latin America, everywhere, there is a widespread recognition on the part of the parents, too, that the children's life will go much better by being educated. And that applies to girls as well as boys.” WorldWellsChildrenAmericaGirlParentBoysEducatedRecognitionLatinAsiaLatin America Author:Amartya Sen
“I think in those countries, including my own in India, where I think primary education has been badly neglected by successive governments, I blame the opposition as much. Why have they allowed the government to get away with it?” ThinkingHas BeensCountryGovernmentMy OwnIndiaBlameIncludingPrimariesOppositionGet AwayNeglectedPrimary Education Author:Amartya Sen
“[To organize a school] looks much more difficult in theory than it does in practice.” LooksDoeSchoolDifficultPracticeTheoryOrganize Author:Amartya Sen
“The understanding that women are not inferior across the world, it's something that you can get from school, not only from the book but also from chatting with other kids. It's a big impact. One of the curious things is that even when - and this we found from studies - the schools are doing pretty badly in terms of their education, about mathematics and literature and language, going to school transformed people because I think the action of schooling, the activity, is very important.” PeopleThinkingWorldImportantBookBigsKidsActionSchoolFoundLiteratureLanguageUnderstandingTermStudyActivityMathematicsImpactCuriousTransformedInferiorsSchoolingChattingBig Impact Author:Amartya Sen
“South Korea at the end of the Second World War had a very low level of literacy. But suddenly, like in Japan, they determined they were going in that direction. In 20 years' time, they had transformed themselves. So when people go on saying that it's all because of perennial culture, which you cannot change, that's not the way the South Korean economy was viewed before the war ended. But again within 30 years, people went on saying there's an ancient culture in Korea that has been pro-education, which is true.” PeopleWorldWayYearsHas BeensWarEndsCultureLevelsEconomyGoes OnLowsSouthAncientDeterminedWar Of The WorldsJapanTransformedLiteracyKoreaKoreanSecond World WarLow LevelSouth Korea Author:Amartya Sen
“When I was younger, studying classical music, I really had to put in the time. Three hours a day is not even nice - you have to put in six.” ThreeHoursStudyNiceSixClassical MusicNice Day Author:Alicia Keys
“Nearly everywhere Buddhism went, there had been a higher level of literacy, even in miserable Burma, not to mention Thailand and Sri Lanka.” LevelsBuddhismHigherMiserableLiteracyHigher LevelThailandBurmaSri Lanka Author:Amartya Sen