We (Women) and Our Education
I have been writing on a wide range of topic, today I thought to share a bit of our life stories when I recall them some bring smile on my face whereas others make me feel sorry.
When I was doing my masters, I went from University to pick my youngest sibling from a fast food restaurant where the whole class was invited on lunch, probably celebrating one of their class fellows birthday. In those days mobiles were not common otherwise I could call her and ask her to come down rather than going up to pick.
Inside the restaurant, I requested a student to guide me where my sister is in humble Urdu. What happened next to me was very surprising Hey …. your maid has come to pick you.
It was unexpected but not surprising for me. Hum ko parha likha hona ka leya angrezi bolna zaroori ha (To be educated, it is obligatory to speak in English). Parha likha nazr ana bhi fashion kerna zaroori ha. (To look educated, it is compulsory to follow fashion). At that time, after attending extensive lab work, I was in a simple dress and I could not expect a grade six student attending Convent School could hide her honest comment after looking at me.
Catching up Fashion and speaking in English are the qualities that enable others to identify us as educated. No Surprises! There are more applicants for learning English than the number of students enrolled for getting Graduated in English.
A society that has intermingled perception of education defined by languages and language as a mean superseding the education quality, it would not be weird if illiteracy becomes the merit where people seems to be more concerned on mean and media rather than content and understanding on knowledge.
Beti ko parhao gay to baad mai paachtao gay, betay ko acha na parhao gay to jahil ka baap kehlao gay.
If you teach your daughter, you would regret later, if you do not teach your son better(than daughters), you would be father of ill-literates.
While selecting the (bahu) daughter in law, we women emphasis on fair colour and as we are as if she is more educated she will take away my simple son. Gori ho hum jaisa log hon Ziada parhi likhi howi to mera seedha se betay ko le kar chali jaye gee.
Here we forget to realize that if our brothers and sons are enjoying happy family life, our younger generation would be happier more educated wise with having more strengthen family ties otherwise chaos in families can spoil every one life and health.Its not always the education but the exposure and experience we acquire while getting education and later on in our practical life, if we have habit of learning from our mistakes make us wiser, pre requisite to be happy and keep other happy as well.
This is a bitter face of reality that the girls that we approve as our daughter in law or sister in laws are not so outwardly educated usually prefer to stay separate and do not believe in strong family ties, leaving their husband s parents living unattended and uncared.
The face of education that we face as a society is weird. We still have dispute whether language needs to be the prime focus or the literature, though both are poor when we refer to our education system.
In such a situation we cannot expect our society to enjoy the benefit of enlightenment where generally people hide in safe escape from their inferiority complexes rather than exploring their strength.
We do not hesitate to support organizations making propaganda against Modern Liberal Civilization but on the other hand, we ALL are very happy to go abroad to settle.
Baher ka perha wohi log, usually with foreign qualified people, learning and life experience over a period of time change their approach in life and priorities, different than the majority of people over here.
Our young friends dream for highly foreign qualified husband and their parents help them to get married and settled with them. After a few years, I find most of the parents complaining that their children are not happy. Having highly educated person in life does not necessarily means that they can be good companions; good companionship the pre-requisite for staying happy together. We often forget that marriage is not a merge of academic systems to prevail well together and spoil many lives by mis-matching them on our set criteria.
We all transform with experience and over a period of time Its not easy to catch with those who are genius and mature as the same time no matter how heavy is their bank statement, expensive the house is, number of cars and so on. Few among us learn realities of life with experience and look for a resolution whereas rest all keeps claiming and blaming setting bad example.
Whereas when we women get higher education and get educated from abroad as well, we are labelled as MIS UN-FIT, pagal ha (Insane).
If we are genius and self made, have done some outstanding work at our own abroad and still return back to continue our job in Pakistan, our colleagues usually start doubting on our mental integrity.
The evidences are built up in support to their claims and some people do not hesitate to present them officially as well as publically where-ever they find defaming women can be helpful to serve their purpose.
Unfortunately, we do not have well defined regulations covering these issues, we, the women, are at the most suffering end.
Due to unawares and immaturity, our general public believe in, what they hear without questioning it logically, a typical characteristics of a flawed education system that we all have been through.
Talking about the education for women has always been on our national agenda, I wonder how long would it take to bring the issue to protect our sanity as educated women on table to develop National Policies for our young generation.
No wonder we ( the educated women) are lonely in this over- crowded world probably GLOBALLY as well, struggling for our ACCEPTANCE and SURVIVAL in Global Community GENERALLY, in our Professions PARTICULARLY.
The writer is associated with the Profession of Teaching and Research with having inclination towards exploring the Features of Nature while enjoying Food with Families and Friends. She is Assistant Professor at Department of Food Science and Technology in University of Karachi, Pakistan.
