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== Career ==
After completing her teacher’s education, Savitribai Phule started teaching girls at the Maharwada in Pune. She did so alongside Sagunabai who was a revolutionary feminist as well as a mentor to Jotirao. Not long after beginning to teach with Sagunabai, Savitribai and Jotirao Phule along with Sagunabai started their own school at Bhide Wala. Bhide Wala was the home of Tatya Saheb Bhide, who was inspired by the work that the trio was doing. The school at Bhide Wala defied Indian education norms not only because of its teaching girls, but also with its curriculum. The curriculum at Bhide Wala included mathematics, science, and social studies, instead of the traditional Brahmanical texts like the [[Vedas]] and Shastras. By the end of 1851, Savitribai and Jotirao Phule were running three different schools for girls in Pune. Combined, the three schools had approximately one hundred and fifty students enrolled. Like the curriculum, the teaching methods employed by the three schools differed from those used in government schools. In fact, the Phule methods were regarded as being superior to those used by government schools. As a result of this reputation, the number of girls receiving their education at the Phule’s schools outnumbered the number of boys enrolled in government schools.<ref name=":2" />
After completing her teacher’s education, Savitribai Phule started teaching girls at the Maharwada in Pune. She did so alongside Sagunabai who was a revolutionary feminist as well as a mentor to Jotirao her husband. Not long after beginning to teach with Sagunabai, Savitribai and Jotirao Phule along with Sagunabai started their own school at Bhide Wala. The school at Bhide Wala defied Indian education norms not only because of its teaching girls, but also with its curriculum.
Unfortunately, Savitribai and Jotirao Phule’s success did not come without much resistance from the conservative community that they were surrounded by. It is said that Savitribai often travelled to her school carrying an extra sari because she would be assailed by her conservative opposition with stones, dung, and verbal abuse. The Phules faced such strong opposition because of the conservative and marginalized caste to which they belonged. The [[Shudra|Sudra]] community had been denied education for thousands of years. For this reason, many Sudras began to oppose Jotirao and Savitribai’s work and labeled it as “evil”. This uproar was often instigated by the upper castes.<ref name=":1" /> Up until 1849, Savitribai and Jotirao Phule were living at Jotirao’s father’s home. However, in 1849, Jotirao’s father, asked the couple to leave his home because their work was considered a sin in the Brahmanical texts.<ref name=":2" /> ▼
▲Unfortunately, Savitribai and Jotirao Phule’s success did not come without much resistance from the conservative community that they were surrounded by. It is said that Savitribai often travelled to her school carrying an extra sari because she would be assailed by her conservative opposition with stones, dung, and verbal abuse. The Phules faced such strong opposition because of the conservative and marginalized caste to which they belonged. The [[Shudra|Sudra]] community had been denied education for thousands of years. For this reason, many Sudras began to oppose Jotirao and Savitribai’s work and labeled it as “evil”. This uproar was often instigated by the upper castes.<ref name=":1" /> Up until 1849, Savitribai and Jotirao Phule were living at Jotirao’s father’s home. However, in 1849, Jotirao’s father, asked the couple to leave his home because their work was considered a sin in the Brahmanical texts.<ref name=":2" />
After moving out of Jotirao’s father’s home, the Phuls moved in with the family of one of Jotirao’s friends, Usman Sheikh. It was there that Savitribai met a soon to be close friend and colleague named Fatima Begum Sheikh. According to Nasreen Sayyed, a leading scholar on Sheikh, “Fatima Sheikh knew how to read and write already, her brother Usman who was a friend of Jyotiba, had encouraged Fatima to take up the teacher training course. She went along with Savitribai to the Normal School and they both graduated together. She was the first Muslim woman teacher of India”. Fatima and Savitribai opened a school in Sheikh’s home in 1849.<ref name=":2" />
In the 1850s, Savitribai and Jotirao Phule established two educational trusts. They were entitled: the Native Female School, Pune and the Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs, and Etceteras. These two trusts ended up encompassing many schools which were led by Savitribai Phule and later, Fatima Sheikh.<ref name=":2" />
Together with her husband, she taught children from different castes and opened a total of 18 schools.The couple also opened a care centre called Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha for pregnant rape victims and helped deliver and save their children.
Jotirao summarises Savitribai and his work in an interview given to the Christian missionary periodical, [[Dnyanodaya]], on 15 September 1853, saying, {{quote|It did occur to me that the improvement that comes about in a child due to the mother is very important and good. So those who are concerned with the happiness and welfare of this country should definitely pay attention to the condition of women and make every effort to impart knowledge to them if they want the country to progress. With this thought, I started the school for girls first. But my caste brethren did not like that I was educating girls and my own father threw us out of the house. Nobody was ready to give space for the school nor did we have money to build it. People were not willing to send their children to school but Lahuji Ragh Raut Mang and Ranba Mahar convinced their caste brethren about the benefits of getting educated.<ref name=":1" />}}
Together with her husband, she taught children from different castes and opened a total of 18 schools.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/who-was-savitribai-phule-remembering-indias-first-woman-teacher/999987/|title=Who was Savitribai Phule? Remembering India's first woman teacher|date=3 January 2018|work=The Financial Express|access-date=8 March 2018}}</ref> The couple also opened a care centre called Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha<ref name=":0" /> (literally, "Child-killing Prohibition Home") for pregnant rape victims and helped deliver and save their children.<ref name="Who">{{Cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/who-is-savitribai-phule-what-did-she-do-for-womens-right-in-india/1/561392.html|title=Who is Savitribai Phule? What did she do for womens rights in India?|last=Agnihotri|first=Sanjana|date=3 January 2017|work=India Today|accessdate=7 May 2017}}</ref>
== Death ==
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