A recent report released by the British Council warns of a "demographic disaster" in Pakistan. Pakistan's population is largely young - over 50% of Pakistanis are under the age of 20. Many of the youth have few opportunities in terms of education and employment. Most are loosing faith in democracy. Fasi Zaka, a cultural critic and radio DJ called the report a snapshot of a "lost generation". Leading newspapers across the world have discussed and analysed this report (NY Times, Guardian, Dawn)
The warning bells are chiming loudly. We need to spend more time creating opportunities for our youth before its too late.
Flickr photo by Rizwan Sagar used under a Creative Commons License
A week before Eid, I started recieving messages of eid greetings in advance from the girls in Swat. It seemed like a competition of who would send the most number of messages. Questions about which animals would be sacrificed and what clothes would be worn, was constantly being exchanged. The designs of Mehndi(henna) to be put on the hands was also being discussed.
On the first day of Eid, I am greeted with a string of text messages from these girls, thrilled to wish someone.
Romana says her Eid is incomplete without her relatives, who are residing in Swat and she cannot meet them. She says the results of her school exams are here but she is not satisfied with them and promises to top the board. She says her dress is yellow and thinks its very sweet of me to ask her about her activities.
Nazli, on the other hand, wore a velvet dress and said she made a long shirt like the ones she saw us wearing during the retreat. She also said that they found a one rupee coin in the stomach of the buffalo they sacrificed.
The rest of the girls just gave eid greetings and were busy visiting their relatives, and enjoying celebrating the festivities.
I woke up yesterday wanting to speak with the girls back in Swat. I only managed to get through to Maria, Nida Malik and Farhana. And I swapped an email with Eman : )
Here’s what they all said.
Maria [was a bit shy on the phone but eventually opened up]: School is going good and she is studying hard. All her friends are doing well, as are her parents. She misses us loads and asked when we were visiting them.
Nida; LIVELY! I felt her jump when she found out I had called her. She kept telling me she misses me ‘toooo much’!!And told me off for not putting kajal on my eyes. haha.
She (and other school mates) are really excited about us (potentially) visiting them in December...they even have a ‘special show’ lined up for us!
FARHANA: Farhana asked me about my studies! I didn’t really know what to say to that since I’m experiencing a permanent mind-clog-- but I responded with a polite ‘parhai bus, chal rahi haen’ and then she laughed. She and her classmates have their final board exams coming up!
Her final concern before hanging up was whether we miss them or not and I told her all we ever do is talk about the retreat. Fact.
Eman’s email:
“hey hi how are ya my new n.o is 0**********
even i tried 2 call ya bt it said . the num u have diled is not valid
. so u r going back . great
i really miss every thing n every 1 . school life has been stared n d
old rotine has begin
meet u soon when u r bak 2 pak
wid love 4m
Eman “
Me to Eman:
“Eman!
so sorry i have been out of touch. I am back in university and it's really hectic dealing with everything.
thank you so much for writing to me : )
i'm sure it's nice to get back to school and seeing your friends everyday..
how is everything? you getting up to much?
i miss all of you soooo much! that one week we had felt like we spent ages together, na?
i'm glad you have e-mail.. we can keep in touch regularly and you can give me updates! :D
hope you are well and safe.
much love
Meeha “
(I’m still awaiting a reply. Will keep you posted!)
by Zaynah Gilani Pakistan has been a victim of constant suicide sttacks, economic crisis and political upheaval. Still among us are those, who make us realize that giving up is not the answer, accepting it as fate is not the path to adopt. One such brave individual is the founding member of Shajar-e-ilm, Maham Ali, whose perseverance and commitment has made the rest of us realize, that every action is a step ahead. With the current situation of the country, very few people see a future and most are termed as idealists, but should we really stop caring because one voice may not make a difference? Is one voice all it takes to bring the tide of change? In her article(The News), Maham Ali has been declared a "National Hero", just for taking the time to voice her opinion. Why do we have to loose hope for the worse and only take credit for the better? It is the people who make a difference to change their destiny. The girls from Swat need an inspiration and example to see that "Making a Difference" will always be the correct path, no matter how small it is. Maham has been that hope to prove that the future can still be bright, it just needs a little help to get there.
If you've grown up in or around Islamabad, then the museum at Taxila will be a constant feature of your childhood albums. Showcasing a wide range of artefacts from the Indus Valley civilisation, it has traditionally been a favourite spot for school field trips and tourist groups. Now, the museum curator fears for the future of this collection and the nearby Buddhist historical sites. The lack of funds to provide adequate security may be one of the reasons for the dramatic fall in visitors.
The concern about preserving archaeological wonders may seem strange to some. After all, there is so much else to worry about in Pakistan. However, it is important to realise that we need to retain as much of our identity as we can. Otherwise there is danger that the rich heritage of the country will become just one more casualty of the conflict.
An article by Dr. Shahid Siddiqui in Dawn explores the idea of social awareness as a by-product of education. The writer delves into the fast food culture in Pakistan and urges schools in the country to create awareness about healthy dietary habits.
An interesting editorial by Huma Yusuf highlights the need for cultural expression in Pakistan. Flickr photo by RChughtai by used under a Creative Commons License
I was googling around the internet for some time to find some happy, positive news that would cheer things up a little. I may be a little late with this piece of news, but I thought it interesting and different.
There is a different kind of school that has taken up popularity recently.There’s a ‘hip’ place in Lahore giving guitar lessons to rock and rolling youngsters. September news tells us there are forty students enrolled already.
Despite the security concerns, a fresh concert scene is emerging, even in a summer of Taliban violence young Pakistanis are rocking on.
Shajar-e-Ilm is a group created and fueled by the passion of its young members --passion to create a society more wholesome than the one that we were given. Maham Ali is one of the founding members of Shajar-e-Ilm, who over and again demonstrates an undying passion and commitment for change.
Shajar-e-Ilm is very proud of Maham's recent efforts to raise funds for the family of Pervez Masih, a poor janitor at the International Islamic University who gave his life while preventing a suicide bomber from entering the women's cafeteria at the International Islamic University. Pervez Masih saved over 300 lives that day, but lost his own life, leaving behind a widow and a destitute family (CNN). His heroic act went largely unrewarded, so Maham launched a fund-raising initiative for the Pervez Masih's family, collecting Rs. 52,500.
Please see pictures and read more about Pervez Masih and Maham on the FunkorChildart Blog.
Samar Minallah, a prominent Pakistani film-maker, anthropologist, and human rights activist has been awarded the prestigious "International Roberto Rossellini Award 2009’ and the ‘Cannon Award 2009’ at the International Film Festival held in Italy (The News). Samar received the award in recognition of her use of powerful documentary film to advocate for the rights of women and other disadvantaged groups in Pakistani society.
Samar has her own NGO, Ethnomedia and Development, which promotes culturally sensitive development. Samar has pursued her struggle for women's rights in the face of insurmountable obstacles and grave threats. The issues she has taken on include the age-0ld custom of Swara in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province wherein women are given as compensation for crime, the plight of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, human trafficking in South Aisa, and the general victimization of women in Pashtun society. In the face of death threats and intimidation, Samar highlighted a video where a 17-year-old girl was being publicly flogged by Taliban, to raise awareness on the inhumane treatment of women by the Taliban.
Samar has been a patron of Shajar-e-Ilm, a source of support and encouragement during all of Shajar-e-Ilm's work. Shajar-e-Ilm would like to extend its heartiest to congratulations to Samar Minallah for a much-deserved award.
Given the disastrous situation in Pakistan these days- there has been another suicide attack near Peshawar today, killing four people (Dawn News)-it is becoming more and more apparent that education may be the only thing that could prevent Pakistan from hurtling back to the Stone Age.
The challenges faced by Pakistan's education system are many and the government education system in particular is in need of a major revamping. However, an article in The Boston Globe examines a rise in private schools in the country, which tend to be inexpensive, have better standards and a slightly more diverse curriculum than government schools. According to the article ,the United States is planning to invest in private schools in Pakistan in order to "...make schools better and children more educated, and in Pakistan's case dent poverty and the appeal of extremism".
The Taliban and other extremist groups have made their attack of education a central tool in their agenda to stunt progress and modernization in Pakistan. This story published in Dawn News today highlights the need to spur education efforts in the Frontier areas of Pakistan. "Pakhtuns need space to accommodate science. And the place that needs science more than any other is the seminary. With cellphones buzzing on silent mode in their pockets, students in the seminaries have already voted in favour of science. They must learn now how to earn their livelihood and raise and support their families by producing the gadgets that they are fascinated by."
An insightful story today in the Telegraph reported how a lack of education in Pakistan is fueling extremism. The article stated that "about half of all the nation's adult men and two-thirds of women are illiterate, even though the authorities have set a notably low bar for judging literacy: the ability to sign one's own name. In a country that deploys nuclear weapons, most adults cannot even manage this elementary task."
Flickr photo by IUCNweb used under a Creative Commons License
There was another suicide attack on a girls’ school in Bara town yesterday, (Yahoo News) this only four days after a government high school for girls was blown up in the same Khyber district.
When the twin attacks on Islamic University took place, I was running errands. Naturally I was horrified, but the gravity of the situation didn't really sink in until a few minutes later when I remembered that one of my best friend's brother studies there. As I fumbled with the phone trying to reach his family, I couldn’t really think. The terrorists, to me, had always been a plague far away… and then the terror touched me. His brother was alright, but seven others were not. Three of my sister’s O-Level exams got canceled, schools closed down and another army officer was attacked. But amid the forwarded messages warning of cell phone-trigger bombs, I receive forwarded jokes from the school girls in Swat. The brigadier who was attacked in the morning escaped with some injuries, and the army killed another 28 militants in Waziristan today.
My ‘Little Sister’ Reshma, talks of how a suicide jacket has been discovered in a school in Swat this week, and a women’s degree college has received bomb threats, yet they continue going to school. Girls will have to take additional security precautions -the army has ordered all students against wearing ‘burkah’ and bringing bags to school- but they will not let the militants win.
As the terrorists’ offensive on women’s education in Pakistan wages on, so does the resilience of the Pakistani.
by Shiza Shahid Two female school-teachers were killed in Pakistan's border region of Bannu (Dawn News) when militants ambushed their car and opened fire. Incidents such as this will only further deter the handful of women in Pakistan's northern regions who are continuing to fight for the right of women to receive an education.
Flickr photo by The UN used under a Creative Commons license
This organized chaos, at the same time as sporadic blasts are happening in the major cities. Few are keeping account of the destruction in the northern areas.
A recent report released by the British Council warns of a "demographic disaster" in Pakistan. Pakistan's population is largely young - over 50% of Pakistanis are under the age of 20. Many of the youth have few opportunities in terms of education and employment. Most are loosing faith in democracy. Fasi Zaka, a cultural critic and radio DJ called the report a snapshot of a "lost generation". Leading newspapers across the world have discussed and analysed this report (NY Times, Guardian, Dawn)
