Hassan
Ali1*, Ashfaq Ahmad Maann2 & Muhammad Hasnain3
1-2Department of Rural Sociology,
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad-38040-Pakistan.
3Department of Sociology, Faculty of
Arts & Social Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
Abstract
This study
emphasizes that a major barrier to girl access and participation in formal
education is the cultural and traditional values and the daily realities of
poverty stand between girls and their prospects for educational opportunities.
Traditional beliefs, practices and sayings perpetuate gender imbalance in terms
of educational attainments. Main objective of the
study is to find out the people`s perception about the hurdles which hinder
female’s education in rural areas of District Faisalabad. This research study
comprised upon 300 respondents. Multistage sampling technique was applied for
data collection. First of all one tehsil (Tehsil Faisalabad) was selected, two
union councils (UC-172 and UC-158) were selected randomly then four villages (Dial
Gar & Talwandi from UC-172 and Chak # 64 and Chak # 65/JB from each UC-158)
were selected randomly and at the last stage 300 respondents were selected
randomly from the selected villages. Data were collected with the help of a
well-designed interview schedule. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software. It
was concluded that (59.80%) respondents facing
economic barriers and also unable to afford books and uniform expenditures. (30.66%)
stated that environment is not much conducive. (15.47%) stated that cultural
norms resist female’s education and confined the females to religious education
only. (22.99%) of total respondents stated that the female who are given school
education did not follow religious obligations. On the basis of the research it
is recommending that Government should arrange awareness campaigns among rural people
about the importance of female education. Laws made for necessary primary
education and strictly enacted and enforced. Parents should stop gender
dissemination among children.
Keywords:
Educational Awareness, Barriers in female`s
education, Rural literacy, Rural Development
Introduction
A number of Prophetic traditions also talk
directly about knowledge being obligatory and binding in character. The Holy
Prophet (pbuh) said: “Acquisition of knowledge is binding on all Muslims (both
men and women without any discrimination)”. (Sunan Ibn Maja) The Holy
Prophet (pbuh) also said at another place: “Acquire knowledge even if you may
have to go to China for it. Verily acquisition of knowledge is binding on every
Muslim”. (Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr) He (pbuh) said at another place: “Allah Almighty
makes the path to paradise easier for him who walks on it for getting
knowledge.” (Sahih Muslim).
The Action plan of “Education Sector Reforms” encourage the public
private partnership to improve the quality of primary education, with scheme
e.g. adopt a school by the private sector under the utilization of public
schools. World Bank based study findings placed that the distance of the school
is also a major constraint in the way of the female education. This distance
also creates economic burden to parents and the problem of security (TAP. 2001-2005).
Punjab, is the most developed and populous province of Pakistan with
approximately 55% of the country's total population. Lahore is the provincial capital and Punjab's main
cultural, historical, administrative and economic center. In the context of
female’s education the district Chakwal helds the top position in all over the
province and Faisalabad have 4th number but the Rajanpur district is
at last number. In context of female’s literacy rate the district Lahore is at
the top, Faisalabad is on 3rd number and the Rajanpur is at the
last. The literacy rate has increased greatly since independence. Punjab has
the highest Human Development Index out
of all of Pakistan's provinces at 0.670 this is a chart of the education market
of Punjab estimated by
the government in 1998.In all primary schools of the province Punjab there is a
single teacher for 40 children.
This study emphasizes that a major barrier to girl access and
participation in formal education is the cultural and traditional values and
the daily realities of poverty stand between girls and their prospects for
educational opportunities. Traditional beliefs, practices and sayings
perpetuate gender imbalance in terms of educational attainments. This paper
argues that the education of girl-child would improve their life chances, and
also enhance the welfare of their households, thus its resultant benefit of the
girl-child being empowered. In the light of these challenges in the girl-child
education, this paper further brings to the fore the efforts of a growing
number of NGOs and international agencies complementing the government’s
efforts in the Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo in promoting greater participation towards
girl education (Elijah Kombian Fant, 2008).
In this paper I look at 12 women who were on welfare and their
barriers to becoming self-sufficient through education. They are in rural areas
in the state of Louisiana and relied on welfare as a support system. I will
examine their abilities to eventually obtain education and stable employment.
In this paper, I use the qualitative data provided by Dr. Pam Monroe of
Louisiana State University to examine the relationships of schooling, skills
and recent work experience to the women’s paths to becoming self-sufficient.
This study provides information on the extent to which education leads to job
stability and the lack of education leads to poverty (Lynda W. Carville, 2005).
Education lead to poor quality schools, Low outcomes in primary
education in Pakistan had (has) been due to the inadequate supply of separate
school for females and the insufficient supply and distribution of schools
particularly in rural area (Lloyd and Sathar, 1994).
Cultural barriers in the culture of rural south
Louisiana, there still are many families who do not value education, education
for girls, or who value education less for girls than for boys. Girls may still
be valued for their care-taking and household chores and such duties can
prevent their enrollment in school or limit their attendance. This may be
especially true if the care-taking and chores revolve around the young female
adolescent’s own child, as is sometimes the case for welfare-reliant clients.
Cultural and social factors such as early marriages, pregnancy and household
responsibilities affect whether women will remain in school (Boldt, 2000).
Today the ongoing clash between various groups in many parts of
Pakistan has made a complex issue, which is affecting girl`s education. In
those areas in poor security situation parents are much reluctant to send their
daughters to the schools. In those areas militants often destroy the girls’
schools deliberately, which further restricts the girls movements to the
schools. In the conflicted areas female teachers are also reluctant to go to
school due to the threats; they receive from the extremists and militants. So
when there are no female teachers to teach girls, no girl students in schools
(UNESCO, 2010), So the main objective of this research is to find out the people`s perception about the hurdles which hinder
female’s education in rural areas of Faisalabad.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study Area
The study site selected for this research is
Faisalabad Sadar tehsil of district Faisalabad randomly. Two union councils (UC-172
and UC-158) were selected randomly. Then four villages two from each UC were
selected randomly.
Sample Size
Sample can be
defined as accurate envoy of the population, which has all the characteristics
of preferred population. 300 respondents (75 from four villages) were selected
randomly from the study area.
Data
collection:
Construction of
data collection tool
Social science
deals with human nature, Feelings, emotions and minds of human being. To study
all these factors it was compulsory that data collection tool was very accurate
and reliable. Interview schedule was prepared with open and close ended
questions to collect the data from respondents. It was structured to get all
the required information from the respondents.
Interviewing
the respondents
Interview was conducted from
respondents to collect facts. The
investigator himself interviewed each respondent to make sure unbiased response
and then rechecked each questionnaire for accuracy and uniformity because it
was very difficult to approach the same respondent at any subsequent stage.
Analyzing of data
Collected data was
analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive
statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations,
were used to summarize different variables. Data was interpreted with the help
of a computer software i.e. statistical package for social sciences.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table.1
|
Sr. No
|
Statement
|
Agree
|
Neutral
|
Disagree
|
|
1
|
Favor of female
education
|
90.33%
|
4.33%
|
5.33%
|
|
2
|
Facing economic
barriers
|
60%
|
13.3%
|
25.99%
|
|
3
|
Afford educational expenditures
|
60.32%
|
5.33%
|
34.33%
|
|
4
|
Education
expenditures as burden
|
66.33%
|
12.31%
|
21.93%
|
|
5
|
Suitable environment for education
|
49.99%
|
19.33%
|
30.66%
|
|
6
|
Female movement for education is
secured
|
26.32%
|
18%
|
55.66%
|
|
7
|
Girls education as violation of
norms
|
16.93%
|
19.33%
|
63.66%
|
|
8
|
Typical traditions and customs are
hurdle
|
48%
|
32%
|
19.99%
|
|
9
|
Educated female demand for more
rights
|
65.99%
|
16.33%
|
17%
|
|
10
|
Culture allow just religious
education
|
19%
|
12.33%
|
67.99%
|
|
11
|
Modern education brings moral
degradation
|
24.99%
|
14%
|
60.99%
|
|
12
|
Religion resists female education
|
12.93%
|
12.33%
|
74.66%
|
|
13
|
Girls mobility for education thought
as sin
|
13.6%
|
13%
|
73.32%
|
|
14
|
School going girl follow religious
teachings
|
22.99%
|
9.6%
|
66.9%
|
|
15
|
Religion confined female within
houses
|
12.99%
|
24%
|
63%
|
|
16
|
Religion gives equal educational
rights
|
88.99%
|
5.6%
|
4.3%
|
|
17
|
Facility of school in area
|
96%
|
--------
|
4%
|
Table.2
|
Primary
|
Secondary
|
High
|
|
85%
|
10%
|
5%
|
Table.3
|
Distance covered to reach high
school
|
0-1
M
|
2-3
M
|
3-5
M
|
5-6
M
|
Above
10
|
|
|
53%
|
23%
|
6.33%
|
8%
|
9%
|
Table.4
|
Type of transportation used
|
Local
|
Self
|
On
foot
|
|
|
42.3%
|
2%
|
55.33%
|
Table.5
|
Statement
|
Agree
|
Neutral
|
Disagree
|
|
Transportation is barrier
|
88%
|
4.66%
|
7.33%
|
|
Shortage of schools is barrier
|
80.66%
|
6.33%
|
12.66%
|
|
Inefficient state’s policies
|
80.83%
|
12.66%
|
6.33%
|
CONCLUSIONS
(59.80%) respondents facing economic barriers and also
unable to afford books, uniform expenditures so they feel it a burden on their
family budget. When it way asked about environment and social surroundings less
than half (30.66%) stated that environment is not much conducive. And only ¼%
respond that their girls are secured when they travel from one place to another
place for education. When asked about cultural resistance towards female
education less than quarter (15.47%) stated that cultural norms resist female’s
education and confined the females to religious education only. They also
stated that typical customs and traditions hinder female’s education. (24.99%)
respondents stated that modern education brought moral degradation. (13%)
responded that religion create resistance and also hinder females mobility for
the sake of education. only ¼ (22.99%) of total respondents stated that the
female who are given school education did not follow religious obligations. So
on the basis of the results laws made for necessary primary education and
strictly enacted and enforced. Legislation must be for the punishment of those
who violate the necessary primary education and also involved in the child
labor instead of sending them school. Primary education should be compulsory
and free in true sense and can be declared for those parents who deprive their
children from primary education. Publications and media cells must be
established for the awareness about education. Easy and cheap transportation
should be provided for students of for flung areas have to travel to reach
school and colleges. Government should arrange awareness campaigns in the rural
districts to people about the importance of female education. More schools
should establish in the rural districts specifically for females. Parents
should wait till their daughters are firefly educated before getting them
married. Government spending in the education sector has remained very low for
the previous years; there government should invest more in education.
References
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welfare to college to work: Support factors to help students persist and succeed and the economic and social outcomes
of degree attainment. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Vermont,
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"Barriers to educational attainment for rural women exiting welfare"
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Elijah
Kombian Fant, 2008. Education
and girl-child empowerment: the case of Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo district in Northern
Ghana. http://site.uit.no/mis/elijah-kombian-fant/
The action plan 2001-2005.
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REDUCTION STRATEGY PAPER (I-PRSP)1-. http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/apcity/unpan020048.pdf
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France e-mail: efareport@unesco.org
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