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March 04, 2007
Back to the basics
Ummi, a resident of a remote village in Sindh will always remember 2006 with pride. It is, after all, the year in which she learned to read and write. From being illiterate to one who can now put pen to paper, Ummi has come a long way. Literacy has accorded her societal recognition and high self-esteem. “I am no longer an unparh maasi (illiterate maid), who inks a thumb impression in place of a signature on the voting ballot paper,” she says with a tinge of pride. Her employer’s daughter taught her to read and write in her free time. In the evening, she gives functional education classes to the women of her katchi abadi in return for a small fee.
In an effort to make ends meet, Ummi migrated to Karachi with her family when she was 13 years old. She is currently working as a house maid and supports her five children and an ailing mother-in-law. When people migrate to Karachi from interior Sindh, women mostly rely on such jobs or work for hourly wages in home-based, small-scale packing or sorting units.
Social workers, intellectuals and analysts believe that the success of any developing nation in the world depends on women’s literacy, which in turn will have spin-off benefits. For instance, being able to read and write will help women understand how to read books and newspapers, apply for loans and start a home-based project, thus affecting the household in the long run and grooming the family in a positive manner. There are many other advantages as well. Literacy will, therefore, open the window of opportunity. However, producing literate women is easier said than done, as can be gauged from the general reaction of the people: “Kia zaroorat hai likhne padne ki?” (What is the need to learn to read and write?).The secret is to deliver the inputs of education and development in a manner in which people can absorb skills without feeling that it is a burden.
We should, along with NGOs, social workers and government programmes, make it our mission to at least educate five illiterate women in our area. Irregular attendance will often be a problem but a sympathetic attitude and repeatedly urging them to continue with the flexi-time classes will help.
Our efforts will enable women to read and write, encourage them to become familiar with the concept of saving up for a rainy day and, thus, become self-employed entrepreneurs, to access banks, government departments and Union Council schemes, and to come together and demand a development package for themselves at district and provincial levels.
A concise version of the main curriculum should also been designed which women can browse through in their free time.
The second step would be to provide booklets to literate women which should contain information on home-based projects, animal husbandry, hygiene, farming, child care, the functioning of the local government and a development package for women.
Functional literacy will have an impact on the lives of approximately half the women of Pakistan as well as on the economy of the country. Thousands will become entrepreneurs and will contribute to the household incomes. While there will be some drop-outs, the successes will remain an inspiration to many others.
The writer is a disabled people’s activist
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