How is education a ticket to a better life?

How is education a ticket to a better life?

Beth, Callie, Sophie and Gen

How do you set the compass for your education?

Pakistan is less than 12 hours away from Australia.

And yet so far away in terms of development… and education

Pakistan is one of the 43 countries that is living under the dark cloud of poverty.

37.4% of children below the age of 5 are malnourished in Pakistan.

In other words, underweight

More than 40% of the Pakistan urban population live in run-down areas

Can you imagine sleeping here?

Now add education to the picture

Little over half the men and less than a third of

women above the age of 15 can read and write

Imagine a boy. He might look a little like this…

Imagine this boy starting school, at a private school

in Pakistan

In this boy’s class, there

were children from 5-10 years

old

The boy’s classmates only did basic math

sums on the blackboard

Some of the boy’s peers did them

with ease, whilst others struggled

with the basic subtraction

If this boy, or one of his friends didn’t understand, they

wouldn’t receive help even if they asked

So, they would go home having

learnt nothing, because there

weren’t enough teachers

Now imagine this boy imagining

you.

How do the religions and beliefs of your country and family affect the form of education you receive?

The majority of people in Pakistan are Muslim.

Muslims have to pray at a certain time everyday,

disrupting their activities and learning.

Learning is precious

In Australia, our religions don’t often disrupt our

learning.

We carry out 5 days a week of schooling That’s 30 hours every 7 days

More than any child in Pakistan

Yet we complain.

How does your gender affect your education?

Percentages of school attendance in Pakistan (1996-2006)

The ratio of girl to boy attendance in secondary school in Pakistan is 28 : 37

The ratio of girl to boy secondary school attendance in Australia is 89 : 87

More than two thirds of Pakistani women are

illiterate

Over 90,000 girls don’t go to school

Girls in Pakistan are taught to support the family in the home, not financially

Whereas, in Australia, close to every girl will attend primary and secondary schooling

We are treated as equals and are able to do most things boys can do

We are regarded as children, one and all. Not separated in society because of our gender

What price do you put on education?

For many in Pakistan, education is like a distant dream doubtful to come true.

Without an education adults struggle to get a job

that pays well

Children long to go to school

In Australia, we are lucky

With parents that earn enough money to send us to school, feed us, and even afford luxuries.

And we complain and pretend to be sick so we can miss out on

school.

Is education something you lack because of your luck?