In Balochistan, girls’ education is greatly hindered by cultural obstacles. It is a region where strict gender roles, upheld by long-standing societal norms, direct males and females onto separate pathways. While boys may pursue an education, girls are encouraged to prepare for a life in the domestic sphere.
Those who might contemplate a marriage in their late teens are thought to be wasting time and resources when they occupy a schoolroom instead of a sitting room. Why fund a school for her when her destiny lies in the kitchen. Indeed, many communities hold the view that an educated girl is a worthless investment because girls seldom work outside the home. Early marriage compounds the problem. In addition to the 10 percent of women in Baluchistan who are currently married and live in the province, at least half of all girls whom you will meet have been pledged in marriage.
That the region’s poverty is one of the most formidable obstacles to girls’ education is a fact. In Baluchistan, an average resident lives on less than a dollar a day. According to a World Bank report, “In Pakistan, school-age children, especially girls, lack quality educational access and attainment….Girls from rural areas suffer the worst educational outcomes and are the most susceptible to factors such as poverty and socio-cultural beliefs that prevent girls and women in Pakistan from completing their education.”
Insofar as Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan in terms of area, is concerned, the situation in relation to girls’ education is profoundly grim. Both the federal and provincial governments are required to take steps aimed at increasing the enrolment of girls in schools, particularly those in Kech, Panjgur and Gwadar, without any further loss of time.
The governments must help minimize the impediments to girls’ education on a war footing. Needless to say, educating girls has a slew of benefits, including greater empowerment and economic opportunities.
Sadia Nisar
Gwadar
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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