KARACHI, Sept 8: The Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) held a number of programmes on Sunday to commemorate the World Literacy Day in its various centres in Malir.

In Pakistan the current literacy rate is 50.5 per cent, out of which 63pc are men and 38pc women. Keeping in view this gap between the literacy rate of men and women, SEF set up a number of Women’s Literacy and Empowerment Centres (WLEC) where programmes to educate women and empower them have been in progress since April 2001.

This programme was initiated to strengthen rural women through an organization managed by themselves that aims at providing freedom and power to determine their own destiny through awareness of their rights and opportunities.

The programmes began at Khalifa Jat Goth. Here the WLEC learners performed a skit in which a girl is shown saving her family from a great loss only through literacy and awareness. A tableau enacted by WLEC learners as well puts forward the plea of a girlchild who pleads with her mother to allow her to go to school.

This tableau tells the tale of various homes in Pakistan who think that education is not the right of the girlchild, and that housework alone is her forte. After this, a speech was presented by Husna, a WLEC learner, who emphasized the need of education for all. She was also of the view that if women were educated, they would not only better their own lives, but the lives of future generations as well.

WLEC learners at Goth Shafi Mohammed (New) began with a prayer asking for God’s help to increase their knowledge. Next came the speech of Najma, a Sarti (member of the WLEC women’s organization). Two skits were also presented by WLEC learners that highlighted the importance of women’s education. Finally, Fatima, the general secretary of the village’s women’s organization, stressed the need for educating women, and said by educating one woman you educated a nation.

Besides this, an essay competition was held at Chashma Goth in which WLEC learners, who have completed their Sindhi Primer, took part. The prime subject of these essays was the importance of women’s education in society. WLEC learners also recited a poem. The message of the poem was to develop villages through education and awareness and look forward to a bright future.

At Shafi Mohammad Goth (Old), Noor Bibi, a member of the women’s organization, spoke about the importance of education in Islam. The importance of education in a woman’s life was also emphasized by Sadia, who chairs the women’s organization at the goth. Abida, a WLEC learner, in her speech spoke about how the organization had changed her life. She said through this programme not only had she learnt to read and write, but she had also learnt to differentiate between good and bad.

Most positive was the feedback received by male community members of these highly male-dominated societies who spoke about the positive effects of women’s education. According to Mohammed Hanif, a community member of Shafi Mohammed Goth (Old), “had SEF not initiated this programme, my sisters (village women) would not have been able to break the age-old shackles that bind them and speak before an audience as they have done today.”

Similar thoughts were shared by Mohammed Qasim and Ali Jat, community members of the Chashma and Khalifa Jat Goths. They said are extremely happy to see their sisters from the community being educated as the Quran states that education, regardless of gender, is the right of every Muslim. Rasool Bakhsh, another community member, said: Ilm insaan ko sardar banadaita hai. Here the emphasis was on “Insaan”(human), not man or woman.

According to Sajida, a teacher at Chashma Goth, and Khalifa Jat, “There has been a marked change in people’s attitudes. There was a time when no man could enter a women’s quarters. The positive thing that we witness today is that both men and women are equally participating in the programme.”

Ghulam Asghar Soomro, programme associate of the WLEC, said the number of WLEC’s operating in Sindh was 20, but he felt that this was not enough and there should be at least one centre each representing a village, to attain tangible results. However, he said: “You do need to begin somewhere, so let’s see how far we go.”

The women participating in this programme are talented, all they need is proper guidance and the motivation to see them through. A vivid example of this is that instead of making regular banners, women at Chashma Goth and Khalifa Jat made use of their imagination and craft to embroider banners that read a verse from the holy Quran: “Education is mandatory for every Muslim.” The headline of the banner read: Taleem sabhni lai, which means “Education for all.”

Looking at the banner and the message it carried, one does feel that SEF has managed to spread the light of education to some if not the whole rural women set-up in Sindh. It shouldn’t be long before we witness the winds of change.