How Dad And I Busted The Belief That ‘Girls Go Astray In Co-ed Colleges Away From Home’

Why would co-education be bad for girls? Parents, please believe in your daughters and their sense of responsibility!

It was time to spread my wings and fly away. All through my school life I had been in a girl’s school but that never affected the way I would think. Be it a girl or a boy, we are equally passionate about our careers.

So I was all set to go to my dream college (lets call it college X) which had happened to be a co-ed. I had studied hard for it and had the required marks.

Now as the saying goes, we should keep our options wide, so I had tried in different colleges. Fortunately, I cleared all of them and the choice was mine. So I was all excited to get into my dream college (let’s call it college X) for two factors – its popularity which would boost up my career as well as fun.

‘Your daughter should study in a girl’s college’

Hell broke loose when my dad said he had got a call from the principal of one of the colleges I was shortlisted for. He knew him, so he called him up personally and told him,”Your daughter should study in a girl’s college. She will be good here (let’s call it college Y). Don’t send her to college X. She will go astray… boys come in flashy cars there and are show offs. For the first time she will be all by herself in a different city, you won’t even know.”

So I asked my Dad, “What do you think?”

Being Dad, he obviously gave it a thought but said, “Do as you wish. But remember what the principal said.”

I had some work in college Y, so I thought let’s go and meet the principal (because I knew him too) who had filled my dad’s ears. I went and met him and to my surprise he told the same thing to me, “See that you do not go astray!”

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I smiled and told him,”I will see you in three years!”

Went to my dream college

I went back happily to my dream college. I studied, had fun, made friends and those were the best days of my life. I never repent it and never did my family.

I completed my graduation without “going astray”.

So I went back to college Y after completing my graduation to meet the principal.

He was happy. I told him that I was finally out with flying colours, of the dream I had dreamt. He congratulated me and told me, “Your dad was right. He told me his daughter is headstrong! If he had a son, it wouldn’t have made a difference, so why the difference for a daughter?”

I walked out proud and happy for the belief my Dad had in me.

Till today, people think twice about putting a girl in a co-ed institute. My advice to them – “Please believe in your daughter and support her to follow her dreams.”

Why would co-education be bad for girls?

First published here.

Image source: a still from the film Gunjan Saxena

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