Savitribai Phule is the first woman teacher in India. She is a household name in India due to her contributions to education. She is India’s first female teacher and an inspiration to educators worldwide. She is well-known not only for her contributions to education but also as a prominent figure in the field of women’s rights and activism. She was also an educator, social reformer, and poet, often writing in her native language, Marathi.
Savitribhai Phule was born in the Maharashtra village of Naigaon, in the Satara District. She was Khandoji and Lakshmi Nevase Patil’s eldest daughter. Savitribai Phule, India’s first female teacher, was illiterate until she married. Jyotirao Phule, her husband, was the one who taught her and her cousin Sagunabai Shirsagar to read and write at home.
It was not simple for Savitribai Phule to be the first woman teacher in India. She was met with strong opposition from the upper caste and Brahmin community, who felt she was tarnishing their religion, but they were most offended by the fact that their monopoly on education was being challenged. As a result, she and her husband were regularly assaulted at school.
The contributions of Savitribai Phule to women’s empowerment, education, and social reform are widely acknowledged. Whenever the topic of women in education is mentioned, it is insufficient without mentioning her contributions. Her work has inspired many women to become teachers in India, and it has since revolutionized the education system as a whole.
