Malala yousafzai,the child
advocate from across the border who gained respect worldwide for the activism in
the field of girls education, was recently conferred with Pakistan’s civil
awards. This sixteen year old women rights crusader, who know lives in Britain
was shot by a taliban gunman in 2012 for her outspoken views on children’s
education in her home region in north west Pakistan.Yet this near-fatal attack
did not deter her from speaking about the importance of education especially for
girls.she is a firm believer that it takes merely one child, one teacher, one
book and one pen can change the world.
Malala’s belief is shared by her peer, shazia kosser,a resident of this side of
the India border.Hailing from the border village Balnoi,fifteen kilometers from
tehsil Mendhar of district poonch in jammu and Kashmir.Shazia has grown up with
conflict. Coupled with isolation from rest of the country, this hostile
environment has kept the inhabitants of this border village away from
development. Struggling with basic facilities in addition to the fallouts of
conflict has become a part of the life for them. Worst affected is education
more specifically, the education of girls.
There were days when women were simply not allowed to pursue education.
Militancy is considered to be the main reason for this trend. According to
the 1981 census Report, the female literacy rate for poonch district was only
11.24 percent as compared to the male literacy rate of 34.20 percent , women
being literate against 32.19 percent of men.
Dogged efforts of the state made education the focus of development in spite of
Militancy being a constant fear in a backdrop , hindering progress at every step
.
It was then,in 1980,that the first school was established in Balnoi.Today,over
three decades later,there are only three primary and one middle school in this
village catering to the needs of population of approximately three thousand and
five hundred people.Both boys and girls are encouraged to go to school.Still,the
absence of the higher secondary school in the village has result in high drop
out rate arter class 8,especially among girls.
The nearest higher secondary school is in village Mankote, eight to nine
kilometers from Balnoi making it difficult for girls to travel and attend
school, ”girls often drop out from school after completing class 8 as there is
no higher secondary school in our village, boys are allowed to travel long
distance to other village and continue there studies but girls do not have
permission from there parents’ rues twenty year old Shazia . Another factor that
plays an important role in the high drop-out rate is the close proximity of the
village to the border . Villagers have been issued identity cards by the
security forces and are allowed only restricted movement during the day ,that ,
after strict security checks each time they cross the gate. Parents do not like
their girls subjected to such security checks – thereby denying them the right
to continue their studies .The only thing left in a girl’s life,despite an avid
interest in education, is to take care of the household and rear the livestock.
Poverty also plays a role in hindering the education of a girl child. According
to Abdul Rehman,Naib sarpanch Balnoi,in addition to fencing and road
connectivity poverty is also to be blamed. In the absence of any regular source
of income, most parents cannot afford the transport fare.
“I wish to continue my studies even after class 8th as my dream to become a
doctor and help the poor and disabled people living a miserable life in our
village.i wish to provide them treatment free of cost but my dream looks like it
will always remain dream”says a saddened saima,currently studying in class 8th.
There are many more saimas in Balnoi village who have compromised with their
dreams and accepted the current situations as their fate.The government has
helped them till class 8th:they can only hope that the state realizes the fact
that they aspire to a good education and need a higher secondary school to
satiate their thrist for knowledge.These girls wish to change the world around
them just like Malala.Whether their dreams comes true remains to be seen.
Sir,presently I am a student ba llb at university of jammu.i am from
Mendhar.This articles is also published in Kashmir times and pioneer but no
impact will be shown at this school.somebody told me that you send ur article to
editor of state times and after publishing of article u shows a change at that
school.so I hope that u published my article within days…
Your loving haamid shah Hashmi