An educated mother has the ability to lay the foundations of a healthy and enlightened society. The entire personality of a person revolves around the sphere of mother’s training, especially in our patriarchal society where child care is the primary responsibility of women. Women represent 49 percent of total population in Pakistan, but the literacy rate of women stands at 36 percent. In Pakistan, the primary school dropout rate of girls is 50 percent. As Muslims, we all know that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) laid great stress on the importance of education and said that it is the leading duty of men and women to acquire education.
Women’s education in Pakistan is facing different hurdles of varying kinds. The overall size of the population is mounting rapidly and has resulted in further female illiteracy. In our society, boys get preferential treatment from their families and they are allowed to continue their education and the parents always pick the boy if there is a choice between educating a boy or a girl. This practice has contributed in limiting the overall presence of women to get education. There is also the prevalent notion that it is males have to be bread-earners and women need not work (even though a large proportion of women are forced to work due to multi-farious reasons), which is why their education must be prioritized.
Another hurdle that is significantly contributing to female illiteracy is that females are not allowed to go to universities, colleges, for continuing their education. As our society is a male-dominated society, and women not only have problems of financial and moral support but also problems of mobility and security, so they cannot pursue higher education even if they want to.
Every government talks about the importance of female literacy but very few have come up with targeted and specific solutions and all the education policies remain vague and platitudinous. Our government is spending 2% of national GDP on education, which is nothing short of criminal negligence. Our neighboring countries Sri Lanka and India have developed a gender equality policy in education, and are flourishing very rapidly. In Pakistan, the development of media has brought awareness in society about many issues and has contributed to opening up society in many ways. As a result, many women are heading towards different professions of life. Kofi Annan said, “More countries have understood that women’s equality is a prerequisite for development”. It is not possible for a society to progress by restricting half of its population and not providing with their basic right i.e access to education. Women have always played a main role in the building of nations. So, for a better Pakistan, it is essential to equip women with quality education.
