Education plays a significant role in the development of human society. Education does not only raise the knowledge, information and awareness of individuals but it is also a holistic strategy for development and change.
Women education is a critical input in human resource development and essential for the country’s economic growth. It increases the productivity and efficiency of individuals, and it leads the economy towards sustainable growth and prosperity. The importance of girls’ education is generational also. “Girls are the future mothers of any society. Every girl that receives an education is more likely to make education a priority for her children. It’s a ripple effect of positive change in the community and country.
In Pakistan today more girls than ever go to school but still, they face many barriers. The biggest barrier is gender discrimination or unequal enjoyment of the right to quality education. Other factors included ethnicity, disability, cultural norms and values, social conduct, perceptions, poverty, lack of educational facilities around them, unsatisfactory educational infrastructure and negligence of the government. In addition to these factors within the education system, girls are also blocked from attending school by external factors including child labor, child marriage, sexual harassment and insecurity.
There are fewer schools for girls in the whole country and many children cannot reach a school on foot safely in a reasonable amount of time. The situation is far worse in rural areas. where schools are open, infrastructure is unsatisfactory, education quality is poor and they event don’t have basic needs such as drinking water, toilets and desks etc.
According to the last year report of Human Rights Watch (HRW), Nearly 22.5 million children in Pakistan are out of school, the majority of them are girls. 22 percent of primary-school-age girls are out of school in Pakistan compared with 21 percent of boys. Most of them not even complete their primary education. By ninth grade, only 13 percent of girls manage to go to school.
Education in Pakistan is facing a severe crisis and the new government must take credible steps for educating the next generation. We hope that government will identify the problems and provide solutions that will give a fair chance to every Pakistani girl to get quality education. On the other hand, we as a society will have to play our role to remove the negative social norms, cultural practices and other barriers that hinder the girls’ education.
SM posts
- Women education is a critical input in human resource development and essential for the country’s economic growth.
- Every girl that receives an education is more likely to make education a priority for her children.
- The biggest barrier in girl’s education is gender discrimination or unequal enjoyment of the right to quality education.
Barriers to Girls Education
- Ethnicity, disability, cultural norms, social conduct, perceptions, poverty, lack of educational facilities, unsatisfactory educational infrastructure and negligence of the government.
- Nearly 22.5 million children in Pakistan are out of school, the majority of them are girls. Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Girl’s Education in Pakistan #Women #WomenEmpowerment #GenderEquality #genderjustice #HumanRights #Womenrights #education #girlseducation