Global policies today encourage greater access by women to formal schooling but leave aside issues of content and school practices essential to the modification of the social relations of gender. This article assumes a holistic approach and compares the promise of education with its actual contribution to transformative knowledge. It examines why education is upheld as such a promising mechanism, despite the numerous obstacles it faces given contemporary developments, particularly the increasing pressures of globalisation that move steadily weakened nation-states away from interventions to foster social justice. Lack of consensus within the women's and feminist movements, limited efforts to change teacher training programmes and scant attention to the work of women-led non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the provision of alternative education are identified as key elements in need of attention if transformative knowledge is to be secured. (Contains 7 notes.)