There is an African proverb, “If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation”. There is no doubt that education has innumerable benefits. Providing education to females has a ripple effect that lasts for generations.Nevertheless, it isimportant to emphasise here that there should be absolutely no discrimination on the basis of gender. This column is not arguing that girls are more deserving of education than boys, on the contrary, it is being argued that children deserve equal access to quality education, irrespective of their gender.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which Pakistan ratified in 1990, protects children against all forms of discrimination. Particularly, in accordance with Article 28 of the UNCRC, Pakistan as a State Party has to ensure that the right of the child to education is provided progressively and on the basis of ”equal opportunity”. Pakistan’s ratification of the treaty has put a legally-binding obligation on the State to provide all children with free and compulsory primary education. Accordingly, Article 25A of the Constitution of Pakistan stipulates that, ”The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years…” Therefore, under both, national and international law, the right to education is granted to all children, irrespective of their gender.
However, according to UNICEF, Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children. It is estimated that 22.8 million children aged 5-16 are not attending school. Furthermore, as per UNICEF, ”Gender-wise, boys outnumber girls at every stage of education.” Additionally, as per Human Rights Watch, ”Thirty-two percent of primary school age girls are out of school in Pakistan, compared to 21 percent of boys.” By ninth grade, only 13 percent of girls remain in school. The situation in Balochistan is extremely concerning as 78 percent of girls are out of school. The Province has the,”…lowest percentage of educated women, as of 2014-15, 81 percent of women had not completed primary school, compared to 52 percent of men. Seventy-five percent of women had never attended school at all, compared to 40 percent of men.”
Therefore, from the above statistics, two points can be inferred. First, Pakistan has been unable to provide all children with their fundamental right to education. Second, it is a sad reality that the girl child is discriminated against on the basis of gender. This is not only unacceptable but has tragic consequences.
As per UNICEF, ” Pakistan has one of the highest new born mortality rates in the world.” Furthermore, among the provinces of Pakistan, Balochistan has the highest incidence of preventable deaths among infants and young children. Annually, nearly 28,600 infants and 4,000 children (aged 1-4) lose their lives due to conditions that could easily be prevented, if girls are provided with education. Therefore, there is a clear link between providing education on an equal opportunity basis and reducing child mortality.
Basu and Stephenson suggested that even slightly educated women are more likely to seek and obtain effective health care to treat their children’s illnesses, especially the common ones, which account for the bulk of children’s illnesses and mortality
Lawrence Summers, during his role as the World Bank’s chief economist stated that “investment in girls’ education may well be the highest return investment available in the developing world.” His report highlighted the benefits of girls’ education to society. He stated, ” educating women reduces child mortality.” It has been reported that mothers channel much more of their income to expenditures on children in comparison to their husbands. Further, education increases the willingness to seek medical care and improves sanitation practices. Studies conducted at the micro level within individual countries also show that more educated women have healthier children. For example, it has been reported that in Africa, the child of a female who had not been to school had a one in five chance of dying before the age of five; a child whose mother attended five years of school had a mortality risk of over 40% less. Further, educating women reduces maternal mortality as well, it has been calculated that an additional year of school for 1,000 women will prevent two maternal deaths. He concluded that educating girls is a cost-effective approach to many health and social problems.
The link between female education and child mortality has been well documented and confirmed by several academics and health specialists. Gakidouestimated that increases in maternal education could account for more than 50 % of the worldwide reduction in under-5 mortality between 1970 and 2009. Similarly, Basu and Stephenson suggested that even slightly educated women are more likely to seek and obtain effective health care to treat their children’s illnesses, especially the common ones, which account for the bulk of children’s illnesses and mortality.
Accordingly, Fischetti stated,” For years health officials have thrown money at ways to prevent young children from dying, with little global data on effectiveness. Recently a pattern has emerged: mortality drops in proportion to the years of schooling that women attain… educated women, it seems, make wiser choices about hygiene, nutrition, immunization and contraception.”
Summers had put it rightly, “Considering the very low cost of equalizing educational opportunities for men and women, the question is not whether countries can afford this investment, but whether countries can afford not to educate more girls.” Pakistan needs to put into place strategies to ensure that the right to education is provided to all children, irrespective of their gender. This will also help towards achieving three Sustainable Development Goals and their targets, good health and well-being (goal 3), quality education (goal 4) and gender equality (goal 5). 3 birds, one stone.
Barrister of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn and teach United States constitutional law and civil law to Pakistani LLB students