'Is there a need to get girls educated?'

"Is there a need to get our girls educated? Whats the use?". These are questions frequently asked by the educationists who go to rural areas to spread awareness about the importance of getting the females educated.

Girls in rural areas have to face many cultural and social problems.One of the most deplorable aspects is that in some places, particularly northern tribal areas, the education of girls is strictly prohibited on religious grounds.This is a gross misinterpretation of Islam,which like other religions urges men and women both to seek knowledge.

Though the need has been felt by some rural parts of Pakistan still alot of girls are not able to acquire education beyound secondary level simply because one does not exist for girls. Though there are a few privately-run middle schools but the fees for such school is so high that the poor families of the village can not afford them.

While the U. N. recommends that developing countries set aside four percent of gross national product (GNP) for education, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) annual report for 2004 shows that spending is still only 1.8 percent of GNP. Thus the annual spending needs to be increased and specially for girls who receive only a small weightage.

There are vast gender and regional disparities between the provinces. While the overall literacy rate in Sindh is 56 percent, it is only 36 percent in Balochistan and substantial disparities also exist at the district level within provinces.

Pakistan's overall literacy rate of 54 percent in 2004 was achieved largely due to an increased emphasis on basic education in the country to achieve the U.N. millennium development goals (MDGs) of universal primary education, according to the SBP report.

But the need for higher education needs to be felt now and secondary schooling should be easily available to those who can build a brighter future for Pakistan.

EESHA AJMAl