Education For All
(Syeda Bushra Azim, Karachi)
There are many people in this
world that are unbelievably narrow-minded. It is greatly upsets me to listen to
people's thoughts and opinions about how "education shouldn't be for everyone."
This is not only an opinionated, narrow-minded statement, but also a stupid one
to say the least. Should everyone have a fait opportunity to get an education?
YES! Are the people in this world that deliberately make that hard to
accomplish? YES, and these people are the ones that need to wake up and realize
hat it is absolutely absurd to deprive any individual regardless of race, sex,
or ethnicity, of an education.
Deprived education has been going on for centuries. In the 1600's, for example,
brilliant women like Elena Cornaro were denigrated by people like Cardinal
Gregorio Barbarigo, (Chancellor of the University of Padua) for wanting to purse
their educational goals. Slaves were also refused the right to acquire an
education of any sort. Fredrick Douglas (a former African American slave)
explains in his narrative the risk he takes to learn to read and write. Because
of those opposed to educational opportunity for all, these two people struggled
their way to a good education. Although those people were faced with pejorative
remarks and insults, they continued to pursue their education. Both Douglas and
Cornaro explain not only how much they appreciate it much more than any white
male of their time.
Just as people during the earlier centuries denied women and slave the
opportunity to gain an education, people still today deny others this right. The
Constitution of the United States declares, "…All men are created equal." If
this is so, then nobody is inferior to anyone else, and nobody should be
deprived of his or her education. I can only imagine what the chaos and
corruption of this world would be like if everyone but the Saxon, white, male
was deprived of his education. Scientist Madam Curie would have never discovered
radiation, and great leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. would have never
evolved the situation of their time.
Until the ignorant people of the world realize how wrong their morals and ideas
are, the absurdity of deprived education will continue.