Disclaimer*: The articles shared under 'Your Voice' section are sent to us by contributors and we neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of any facts stated below. Parhlo News will not be liable for any false, inaccurate, inappropriate or incomplete information presented on the website. Read our disclaimer.
This post is also available in: العربية (Arabic) اردو (Urdu)
Education is essential and indispensable for every person. It builds up the mentality, transmits qualities and instructs capacities that are crucial for achievement in everyday life. Education not just aids up the versatility of a nation, but at the same time, it is a vehicle for financial improvement of societies.
A country of 220 million people is facing serious crises of Out of School Children. According to Pakistan Education Statistics 2017, Pakistan is home to 22.6 million out of School Children (OOSC). In Pakistan, children do not have access to quality education due to poverty, lack of awareness, distance to schools, and non-availability of teachers and lack of educational infrastructure in the country.
In our society, unfortunately, women are not viewed in the role of providers; they lack social value and status. Male members of our society are preferred over female members and better education is provided to them. They are equipped with skills to compete for resources while female members are taught domestic skills and are mainly kept at home due to wrongly interpreted cultural and religious barriers in our society.
In rural areas of the country, women are given limited opportunities to create choices that enable them to take control of their lives. Usually, girls are removed from school and colleges due to early life marriages in rural areas of the country. Especially girls older than 10 years become vulnerable to early or forced marriages.
In Pakistan, 24 percent of children aged less than 18 years are married (UNICEF, 2011b). In most rural and remote communities, girls are unable to complete their basic education, especially in the transition from primary to secondary school. Wrong interpretation of Islam by the local so-called religious scholars is also among the major barriers to girls’ education in rural areas; often they misguide the communities by doing the wrong interpretation of Islam.
Gender inequality is a common accusation made against Islam and the finger pointers cite the inequality between men and women in education as an example. The first revelation of our Holy Prophet (PBUH) and how it clearly declared the importance of education and knowledge is a prime example of how Islam gives importance to the education of both genders. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said:
Acquisition of knowledge is binding on all Muslims (both men and women without any discrimination). [Narrated by Ibn Maja in al-Sunan, 1:81 224.]
The Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) also said at another place:
Acquire knowledge even if you may have to go to China for it. [Narrated by al-Bazzar in al-Musnad, 1:175 §95.]
Sexual harassment is also a major concern for parents in Pakistan. A report by UNFPA states that the most vulnerable age for sexual harassment/abuse is 10–18 years for girls (77 percent) and 5–10 years for boys (32 percent) (UNFPA, 2000). If parents feel that children are at risk of sexual harassment, they might opt to remove them from school, precipitating their dropout. Fear of sexual harassment/abuse at school or in the community means parents will be most protective of children.
In Pakistan, an adequate number of NGOs are working and contributing to the field of education. The new government should prioritize the education sector in order to improve the overall situation of out of school children.
It is thus imperative if a nation wishes to be successful and move towards a sustainable reality, the women of that society must be given every opportunity to obtain knowledge and education which is not only her due right but a right that has been ordained to her by Almighty Allah.
