Shattered Aspirations: Stories of College Dropout Girls

Tahira Khan 

Loralai: Shagufta Jabeen, aged 20, has expressed a keen interest in pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. However, due to family pressure, she finds herself unable to enroll in a university program that offers co-education. 

Consequently, she is compelled to remain at the college level and pursue an Associate Degree Program in Political Science. This decision directly contradicts her passions and aspirations for her future.

Similarly, Gul Bushra, another student, expressed that it is her dream to pursue higher education, but she fears she may not have the opportunity to fulfill her life goals.

For any teacher, the primary goal is to impart education due to its crucial role in the development and prosperity of society.

However, it is equally distressing for him or her to witness talented students, particularly girls, discontinuing their higher secondary education prematurely due to the pervasive socio-cultural factors that reinforce patriarchal norms and encourage the subjugation of women in all spheres of life. In light of this issue, this correspondent conducted a questionnaire session among college students majoring in Political Science at Girls Degree College, Loralai.  The main purpose of the session was to gauge students’ interest in Political Science as a subject and explore their career goals.

However, the responses highlighted the discriminatory behavior prevalent in society, where men are afforded the opportunity to pursue higher education and choose career paths, while women face barriers in accessing education and making career choices.

According to the survey results, 90 percent of the students expressed interest in pursuing higher education, but many indicated that they lacked familial approval to do so.

Contrastingly, Malaika Hameed, aged 19, expressed her future aspirations as follows: “I plan to dedicate two years to college, focusing on political science, before eventually marrying. I hold the belief that a woman’s destiny primarily resides in the kitchen. Even if a woman pursues a career such as medicine, she still must attend to her husband’s culinary needs. Therefore, I believe it might be wiser to forgo university and instead acquire cooking skills at home. Nevertheless, I occasionally harbor desires to earn for myself and pursue further education.”

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This perspective resonates not only with Malaika but also with countless other young women across all four provinces of Pakistan.

From their earliest days, they have been instilled with the belief that the pinnacle of existence lies in marriage, dedicating themselves to the roles of dutiful wife, obedient daughter-in-law, and nurturing mother.

Following that, Nadia Bibi, an 18-year-old student, expressed her family’s concerns regarding higher education. She aspires to gain extensive knowledge from her college experience. 

When asked about her future goals, Nadia expressed her desire to pursue a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Islamiat to deepen her understanding of religious insights regarding human affairs in this world. While this program is available at a nearby university, conservative factors are hindering her admission. 

Stories like Nadia’s prompt to question where we stand in imparting quality education to the future of our nation. Despite a high percentage of willingness among girls to pursue education, barriers persist that prevent them from pursuing their dream lives.

The National Education Policy of Pakistan emphasizes education as the fundamental right of every child, regardless of geographical location.

However, in Baluchistan, the situation is beleaguered by a higher percentage of high school dropouts, reaching 25.4 percent at the secondary level.

In a similar vein, another student, Ruqia Assad, has shared her challenging journey navigating the complexities of the education system.

She is undertaking the ambitious task of pursuing two degrees simultaneously: a BS (Hons) in Political Science and a BS in Nursing.

The rationale behind this dual pursuit is pragmatic: if she encounters difficulties in the political science field, she can leverage her nursing degree to navigate the job market.

Assad’s resilience and determination are evident as she strives to carve out a path for herself in higher education and economic independence.

Assad’s perspective on womanhood is profound. She articulates, “For a woman or girl to feel complete is to earn for herself and nothing else.” 

This sentiment reflects her belief in self-reliance and challenges the traditional notion of female fulfillment being contingent upon submission to patriarchal values.

In a world where male-dominated societies often dictate the roles and aspirations of women, Assad stands out as a beacon of courage and defiance. Her story sheds light on the struggles faced by many women striving for autonomy and empowerment within oppressive social structures.

However, I felt great interacting with some other students whose aim was to support their fathers. Educated minds understand the importance of upholding the regard for parents who strive for their children’s education, especially in traditional setups.

Nooria Rabbani, a third-year student at college, aspires to pursue higher education to fulfill her father’s dream. It is worth mentioning that during the session, all students provided responses in Urdu except one, who chose English.

Out of 18 stories shortlisted to identify factors contributing to college dropouts in Girls Degree College, Loralai district, Amna Rehman, aged 20, stood out.

She lamented the poor quality of secondary education in her analytical response. With commendable insight, she not only delineated her educational journey but also expressed distress over her reluctance to join university due to the co-education system.

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Notably, Rahman was the sole student to highlight the declining educational standards in colleges.

In future, she is aiming to join the civil bureaucracy and serve the community at all possible platforms. “If we cannot pursue education in university then, at least, able teachers should be posted in the college sector”, she added. 

Loralai is one of the districts of Balochistan where culture and traditions play a role in deciding the dynamics of society.

Since the majority of the population also believe in traditional Islamic philosophy, the co-education factor has become a controversial aspect to hinder women from getting higher education.

As a result, women are discriminated against in every field of life in traditional setups of the province. 

In Baluchistan, numerous schools and colleges have adopted co-education policies.

However, despite this trend, girls lag significantly behind in accessing co-education at higher levels due to entrenched traditional norms, male dominance, gender inequality, discrimination, and conservative structures. These factors contribute substantially to the prevalence of illiteracy in the province.

Photo Credit: Tahira Khan

Tahira Khan is a freelance journalist from Loralai, Balochistan. She can be accessed at tahiraadamkhan@gmail.com

All information and facts provided are the sole responsibility of the writer.