Educating women is considered one of the most important factors of development in this modern world. Despite this harsh reality, there is a huge gender gap in terms of female education in Pakistan generally and particularly in Balochistan. According to the 2017 Economic Survey of Pakistan, women’s literacy rate is at 48 percent whereas male literacy rate stands at 70 percent which is representative of alarming conditions for female education in Pakistan.
Similarly, the condition of female education is abysmal in Balochistan. There are many factors which are contributing for woman’s illiteracy in the province. These factors include discriminatory laws and educational policies, poverty, lack of educational facilities and institutions, negligence of the government, less expenditure on female education, societal norms and values. These factors greatly contribute to high female’s illiteracy rate, and low Gross Enrollment Rates, and Net Enrollment Rate in the Province.
The Economic Survey of Pakistan 2017 report clearly shows that there is gender disparity in Balochistan in terms of education. The total literacy rate of Balochistan is 41 percent but female literacy rate stands at 24 percent while the male literacy is 56 percent which indicates deplorable conditions of female education in the province. Balochistan is listed as the worst province in terms of female education in the country. Because sometimes women are also considered as the honor of family. If she gets education, she may loss the reputation of the family.
Moreover, there is a huge difference in terms of rural and urban areas. Most of the population about; 80 percent of the people in Balochistan are living in rural areas. The rural literacy rate for men is 48 percent and 15 percent only for females and it was 17 percent which was greater in 2013-14 according to economic survey of Pakistan report. Poverty and remotely located educational institutions are the major issues due to which women are deprived of gaining an education in the rural areas.
In 2018 general Election, the BAP managed to bag majority of the seats in the Balochi Provincial Assembly- and Jam Kamal Khan is expected to be the new Chief Minister of Balochistan. We hope that the party will convert their theoretical claims into practice, and make sure female enrollment in schools is mandatory across the province
The educational institutions are far from their villages and women cannot walk there due to security or familial concerns. Secondly, economic sources in the rural areas are agriculture and livestock. In these two sectors, they can only generate meals thrice a day, along with other meager expenses. There would not be any surplus to arrange for a transportation system to send women to schools.
On the other hand, in urban areas, the male literacy rate is 76 percent while the female literacy rate is 44 percent which is embarrassing. Urban areas are generally considered very important in women empowerment because all educational facilities are mostly available and easily accessible for females and males equally. Notwithstanding, the existing gender gap worsens, due to low women’s literacy rates, alongside socio-psychological issues such as sexual harassment, insecurities that exist in urban areas.
In spite of its vast geographical area, there is variance in terms of Gross Enrollment Rate in Balochistan on the bases of gender. According to Pakistan Bureau Statistics, the Gross Enrollment Rate for male is 75 percent and for female is 42 percent. It is very disheartening to mention that the female Gross Enrollment Rate was better in 2013-14 which was 49 percent in the province.
In addition to the GER difference, According to Economic Survey of Pakistan 2017, the percentage of females’ Net Enrollment Rate is very low in Balochistan. The total Net Enrollment Rate is 33 percent, 38 percent for male and for female 26 percent. It is disquieting that the female NER decreased because it was 30 percent in 2013-14.
On May 2018, former chief minister Mir Abdul Qudus Bizenjo, and current MPA of Balochistan, distributed some laptops to the students of Degree College Quetta Cant and claimed that women’s education is compulsory and without female education, we cannot compete in this modern world. Further, addressing on behalf of his newly established party Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) he said that the students should practice the power of their votes and select their true representatives who can solve their issues.
In 2018 general Election, the BAP managed to bag majority of the seats in the Balochi Provincial Assembly- and Jam Kamal Khan is expected to be the new Chief Minister of Balochistan. We hope that the party will convert their theoretical claims into practice, and make sure female enrollment in schools is mandatory across the province. Moreover the Federal Government and the rest of the country should also pay more attention to the matter- as more than half of the province’s women being out of school is a national problem.
The writer is MPhil. Scholar at Department of Sociology, University of Karachi, and Freelance writer and Researcher. Can be reached at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, August 17th 2018.