The educational advancement of women in India is not perceived as an important characteristic since education is perceived as irrelevant to their roles. The equality of women in status and opportunity is guaranteed in the 1955 Constitution of India and by the government. Although achievements by women in the local and national levels exist, a majority of the women in the rural areas occupy lower positions. The problems for working women are based on economic, social, cultural, and educational factors. To improve this situation, successive Five Year Plans have been instituted by the government to emphasize women's education at the elementary, secondary, and university levels. Some factors which present problems in educational development are found in the decreasing growth rate at the elementary level, an increasing number of dropouts, a high rate of illiteracy, the loss of literacy, and social and cultural attitudes. Some alternatives to the traditional educational approach can be more effective in the education of women. These approaches include functional literacy programs and nonformal education which will enable women to eventually become a vital source of power in the process of national development. (EC)