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| Times of India, BANGALORE: After breaking the glass ceiling in a man's world, Ronit Tirosh, premier from Tel Aviv and member for Ariel Sharon's new party, Kadima, places education as the foremost mandate for self-reliance. "Education is a security for every human being," she said while addressing delegates at the ongoing Women and Technology Summit in the Art of Living Campus. Excerpts: What is the role of education in empowering women? If you have a vision and want to meet targets, you need education. There are women in some parts of the world who stay home and look after their family. But all this should change because women are equal to men, and many times bring in more value to the table. If she chooses to be a homemaker, it's imperative for her to be educated, because she has a large influence on her children. You were among the top 50 strong and most influential women in the world by Forbes and Globe, respectively. What inherent qualities helped you earn these titles? My education and ambition helped me. If there is determination, you can break through the glass ceiling and reach your target. Being self-confident has helped me gain a positive self-image. It gave me power and the ability to deal with everything. If you are shy because you are not sure about yourself, you never get anything. Success doesn't fall from the sky - you need to work for it. As a member of Kadima, what do you perceive as a change agent in the society? It's quite easy for me because education is my life's mission. And, we must ensure that each minister understands that education is basic to life and must never reduce the budget for it. Children from lower and medium socio-economic levels must be given importance. What are the challenges of rising to the top for a woman in Tel Aviv? Tel Aviv is a very modern city and it's quite normal for women to hold top positions. There were a lot of suggestions that I run for mayorship because our country hasn't had a women mayor before. But I prefer to be the minister for education, as I have experience in the field. When I was the director-general, my minister had a different agenda and I had to go with her. My dream is to go my way. And my way is to take care of the less-fortunate children. As a result, in every field, there are more men than women. I have legislated that every board must have 50% women on it to bring in equality. In a platform among strong and impactful women, what do you believe is the world's future? It's a very confusing period, especially my area, because all Arabian countries surrounding Israel are collapsing by dictatorial regime. Now they are trying to bring democracy which is very good. But because they are not educated about democracy, I'm not sure they know how to run a regime in a democratic way. I don't know what will happen in our regime. We have a big threat coming from Iran. There is an economic crisis in the west too. Nothing is balanced now, nothing is stable. But I feel life is too short, so why worry and why fight? Source: Times of India |
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