Thoughts of Savitribai Phule in women’s education and capacity building

Savitribai Phule was the first female teacher in India, a social reformer and a poet. The objectives of the study are to find out the thoughts of Savitribai Phule regarding women and social status; to study the contributions in the field of women’s education and capacity building, the role as a social reformer and the relevance of her ideas in present day situation. The research method is qualitative in nature and associated with the historical research procedure. Content analysis technique is used to address the specific research questions. The study revealed that her writing, speeches, and organizations like the Mahila Seva Mandal to raise awareness about women’s rights and inspire them to flight for their place in society. She was a revolutionary Indian educationist and social reformer who significantly impacted women's education and capacity building in 19^th century India. Her ideas like universal education, critical thinking, gender equality, caste annihilation and concept of night school are very significant and relevant in present education system.