Anjali Sharma
The northern-most Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir was in news a few weeks ago for an unusual event that well reflects the changes sweeping across the state. Three students of Class 10 came together to form the state’s first girl band, Pragaash that rose to fame in December 2012 after their performance at the annual ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition. The courage and confidence required to perform in a state where girls have always stayed behind the veil is inspiring and encouraging in a country where girls are yet to obtain their fundamental rights: the right to education, the right to express, even the right to live a life free from social prejudices. The seeds of a better future were sown by these young girls, even though the dream was short-lived.
After receiving several threats on social networking site from extremists and because of the fatwa that was issued against them, the girls decided to quit. Today, the entire country has come forward in their support and wants them to make a comeback not only for their own sake but for every girl awaiting fair treatment from a society that, over the years, has rejected their right to even the basics like education. The efforts of the state government to protect the rights of the girl child are bound to fail when society itself doesn’t treat their own daughters equally. Many families remain shackled by the chains of a narrow mindset.
Shamim, a seventeen year old (though she looks much younger), shares the news of her pregnancy shyly, all the while stirring the pot simmering on an open chullah. This visibly weak girl, living in a kuccha house in the Bandichechian village of Poonch District along the border, was married to a farmer four months ago. Her marriage was a decision taken by her family when circumstances worsened with her father falling sick. The sacrifice was all hers. She had to drop out from school where she was a student of Class 7. At her in-laws place, no one favored her meek proposal of continuing her studies. “Main bhi aapki tarah padhna chahti hun (I too wish to study, like you),” says she, the longing evident on her child-like face.
In sharp contrast is the confident demeanor of Maksooda Kouser, a young woman who lives barely half a kilometer away from Shamim’s house. Maksooda is the perfect foil for the likes of Shamim’s family. This twenty four year old girl completed her Master’s degree, B.Ed. and aspires to do a doctorate in Urdu. She owes her family much. She studied in the government school and colleges, availing of the facilities provided for young women like her. She is determined to get married only after completing her education.
Shamim and Maksooda represent two different faces of our society with latter offering the perfect foil to the former’s dismal circumstances. The Government provides schools, runs several schemes to make it easier for the parents to afford the education of their girls, recruits local teachers, provides scholarships and mid day meals – and yet, the situation leaves much to be desired. In villages like Bandichechian, the major lacunae lie in basic infrastructure like connectivity and communication facilities. In the absence of roads and transport facilities, most parents remain unaware of the government policies and schemes. Plus, many are illiterate and do not see any point in educating their girl child and would rather marry her off.
This needs changing. No matter what the number and variety of policies and schemes launched, the involvement of parents in the task is a must; else education will continue to elude several girls like Shamim and Razia. The recently released Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) shows that the proportion of girls (age 11-14) not in school in the state has dropped encouragingly from 8.3% in 2006 toto 3.7% in 2011 but rose again to 5.0% in 2012. The proportion of girls in the higher age group (age 15-16) not attending school was a substantially higher 13.9% in 2012; a telling comment on parents who hold back their daughters from school, intending to marrying them off instead.
The findings in the report cannot be looked at as mere statistics. They reflect the efforts invested by the government in bringing girls to the educational institutes after the decades-long violence that kept them away from education. At the time, parents were excused for being apprehensive because of stringent security checks. Now, when the situation is far better, the percentage of girls who are not in school is again on the rise again.
Schooling seems to be eluding five year old Rabia Kouser too, who is dispatched by her parents to her neighbor’s house instead, to do their daily chores of washing clothes, utensils and cleaning up the house. Her parents, who grew up in the years of militancy, were not able to get an education. Their lack of awareness is pushing their daughter towards a similar fate.
Last month, the result of Class 12th examination was declared by the State Board of School Education (BOSE), with girls outshining boys in overall pass percentage as well as in the merit list. While 25 out of 30 students sharing the first three positions in all the four streams – Science, Arts, Commerce and Home Science – are girls, the female candidates fared better in overall pass percentage too.
This result reflects the ability of the young girls from the state to achieve heights in the field of education. All they need is support from their families and society at large.
The nurturing environment that enabled the all-girls band, Pragaash, to win accolades for their talented musical abilities is the need of the hour. The resurgence of a culturally-rich Jammu and Kashmir depends on it.
(Charkha Features)
Follow our WhatsApp channel