NSOU-OPEN JOURNAL January 2020 Vol.3 No.1 NSOU-OPEN JOURNAL ISSN: 2581-5415 Vol.3 No.1 (January 2020) A multidisciplinary Online Journal of Netaji Subhas Open University, INDIA Educational Status of Muslim Women in West Bengal: A Case Study of Chapra Block in Nadia District Satyajit Saha M.Phil Research Scholar University of Kalyani Email- satyajitsaha105@gmail.com Abstract Education is the key factor for development, prosperity and welfare of a society. As we all know that proper development is not possible without education. It is all the more true for the weaker and neglected section of the society i.e. women. The social science research studies on the Muslim society in India with particular reference to the women of West Bengal are negligible causing immense loophole in our insight and understanding of the Muslim society from the experiential point of view. The present paper is an attempt to analyze the educational status of Muslim women of Chapra block of West Bengal in particular. After spending seventy two glorious years of the independence the major portion of Muslim women belong to the marginalized section in the Indian society specifically in the economic and politically arena. In this study effort would be undertaken to find out the educational advancement of Muslim women in selected block of Nadia district of West Bengal through adequate data collection. The minority cell of local block development office would be also consulted. This study is based on both primary and secondary data and it should be definitely have an impact factor and provide both the government and civil society. Key words: Muslim Woman, Educational Backwardness, Drop-out, Literacy, Development. Introduction Swami Vivekananda an ideal philosopher, thinker and reformer of India has rightly said that, “There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing”. He also realized that right type of education is very important for women and it is the basic necessity for a nation to prosper and advance. Islam has given so much importance to the education. The prophet himself quoted that education is essential for Muslim man and woman to adequate knowledge. It is the fact that women constitute almost 50% of the total population in the worldwide. But this is not true in India. Though, India is belonging to the status of developing nation, however it is shocking to find out that population of females has been comparatively lower than males. The social status of Muslim women in the Indian society is concerned that they are not fairly treated as equal to men in all the places. The best practices in Western societies are that women are recognized and given equal rights and status. Muslim have founded most educationally backward community at national level and which the Government of India acknowledged the National Educationally Backward Minority in 1993(IOSR Journal 2012). The Muslim women are enough educationally backward as compared to non-muslim women. Some kind of sufficient reasons behind the low literacy among muslim women. Conceptual Background of the problem In tradition of West Bengal women in Muslim society used to living in a much close societal environment and they were mostly confined to homes due to social and ritual restriction with regards to the pattern of behavior and activities. In West Bengal Chapra block is a border based and minority block also. The average female literacy rate of Chapra block is recorded only 57.97 per cent which is very low as compared to the average female literacy rate of West Bengal that is 70.54 per cent. This backwardness of majority of the Muslim women is one of the ultimate factors for their way behind, employment is also necessary for raising status to social change. The main objective of the paper is to highlight the educational status of Muslim women in Chapra block.