While researching this I found the following, which is a statement presented from Baha'is to a roundtable discussion at the United Nations World Conference on Education for All by the Year 2000 (presented in March, 1990):
The advancement of civilization now requires the full participation of everyone, including women. Women must, therefore, be educated, not only for the service they render to humanity as the first educators of children, but ultimately, for the special contributions women must make to the creation of a just world order, an order characterized by such compassion, vigor and scope has never been seen in history. The mother is the primary source of the empowerment of the individual, without which social transformation and the advancement of civilization will be impossible. It is clear, then, that the station of the mother, increasingly denigrated in many societies, is in reality one of the greatest importance and highest merit.
As I started thinking about this, my appreciation for both my own mother, and, my wife, the mother of my children grew. How true it is that the mother is the child's first educator. In most instances, it is the mother that stays at home during the child's early development. The mother selects the visual and audio stimulation that the child first comes in contact with. Not only that, but the mother also demonstrates compassion, concern, love and many other positive attributes by her interaction with the child. This does not, of course, mean that the father does not also serve as a teacher of the child, but, in our culture, it is generally the mother that is with the child during it's early development.
The above quote continues:
Women and girls must be educated -- spiritually and intellectually -- because a mother cannot pass on what she does not have. A child needs a nurturing environment and wise guidance in the first years of life in order to develop sound character. Moreover, if the mother is unable, because of her own deficiencies, to provide the child with experiences which will equip her for later, formal schooling, she will find herself at a serious, often crippling, disadvantage. It must be stressed, however, that this dual responsibility of developing the child's character and stimulating his intellect, belongs also to the community as a whole, including the father, grandparents, and neighbors. Indeed, the extended family and a close community may provide the best environment for nurturing children.
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