CSS Pakistan Affairs | Initiatives in Pakistan Focusing on Girls Education
The following question of CSS Current Affairs is solved by Hinas Khan Yusafzai under the supervision of Howfiv’s Pakistan Affairs and Current Affairs Coaches. She learnt how to attempt 20 marks question and essay writing from Sir Syed Kazim Ali, Pakistan’s best CSS and PMS English essay and precis teacher with the highest success rate of his students. This solved past paper question is attempted on the pattern taught by Sir to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory and optional subjects for years, and uploaded to help aspirants understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Outline
1– Introduction
2- Background and objectives of “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” (BBBP) in India
3- Success of BBBP Model in India
4– Throwing light on Pakistan’s efforts towards promoting girls’ education
- ✓ Punjab Education Sector Reform Program (PESRP)
- Case in point: Girls’ enrollment in primary and secondary schools, particularly in rural areas, by offering stipends and transportation
- ✓ The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) – Waseela-e-Taleem
- Case in point: Over 5 million children, including a large number of girls, have been enrolled in schools through this program, with cash incentives linked to regular school attendance
- ✓Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC)
- Case in point: The UK-funded initiative focussing on helping girls in marginalized communities gain access to education
- ✓ Taleem Foundation
- Case in point: NGO providing education to girls in remote and underserved areas like Balochistan
- ✓ Sindh Education Foundation (SEF)
- Case in point: SEF’s initiatives increasing literacy rates in Sindh’s rural areas by assisting quality education to thousands of students who otherwise lacked access to schooling
- ✓ Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Insaf Afternoon Schools Initiative
- Case in point: contributing to narrowing the educational divide in remote and underdeveloped regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- ✓ Malala Fund program ( MFP)
- Case in point: The Malala Fund focusing on advocating for girls’ education worldwide, including in Pakistan’s rural areas
5– Critical Analysis
6- Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
Education for girls is one of the most sufficient stimuli for socioeconomic development, reaping the rewards for individuals, communities, and nations. Girls’ or females’ education goes up a notch to their earning potential, improving health and enhancing autonomy. For that reason, the Indian government launched Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) in 2015 to combat gender inequality by promoting girls’ education and survival. Permeating awareness campaigns, incentives of education, and enforcement of the anti-sex selection laws. BBBP has led to an enhanced girl child enrolment in schools and a decline in female aborticide cases. In the same manner, with different models and campaigns, Pakistan has also worked on many programs to promote girls’ education in the country, including governmental-level initiatives and Private NGOs, which facilitated female education in Pakistan. Hence, girls’ education is a paramount investment in a brighter, more prosperous future. This answer discusses the BBBP’s success and Pakistan’s initiatives and achievements for girls ‘education.
Background and Objectives of “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” in India
Before going deeper into the matter, it is essential to understand the background and objectives behind the project “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” It is a premier program established by the Government of India in 2015 to address the declining child sex ratio and empower girls through education. The initiative aims to combat the alarming issue of females: Unlawful termination of pregnancy, juvenile killing, and discrimination against girls, which has led to a skewed sex ratio in many regions of the state. Through converging efforts from various ministries, departments, and stakeholders, the program seeks to enhance the child-sex ratio, ensure girls’ survival and protection, educate girls, especially in rural areas, challenge societal attitudes and stereotypes and facilitate women through financial independence. Ultimately, “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” aspire to design a supportive environment for girls to grow, learn, and thrive, contributing to a more equitable society.
The success of the BBBP Model in India
Beyond the shadow of any doubt, India’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative has delivered dramatic improvements, significantly by boosting the female literacy rate and rectifying the child-sex ratio imbalance. To begin with, there has been an improvement in female literacy rates; since its inception in 2015, the program has spurred progress in 422 of 640 districts. Illustratively, Haryana has one such example as its success story reveals that districts like Karnal, Mahendergarh, and Rewari are now witnessing substantial improvements in the child sex ratio. Beyond the shadow of any doubt, India’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative has delivered dramatic improvements, significantly by boosting the female literacy rate and rectifying the child-sex ratio imbalance. Second, girls’ enrollment has increased in schools; for example, Karnal’s remarkable turnaround, from 756 girls and 1000 boys in 2014-15 to 898 in 2019-20. Lastly, it helped in the awareness campaign; for instance, massive nationwide campaigns have raised awareness regarding the importance of girls’ education and awareness of gender equality, which highlights the program’s effectiveness by combining awareness drives, community engagement, and education initiatives. Therefore, BBBP has not only encouraged girls’ access to secondary education but also emphasised a cultural shift, that paves the way for a more inclusive society.
Throwing Light on Pakistan’s Efforts towards Girls’ Education
- ✓ Punjab Education Sector Reform Program (PESRP)
One of Pakistan’s main initiatives is Pakistan’s Punjab Education Sector Reform Program (PESRP). It has made immense strides in promoting girls’ education, particularly in rural areas. As a demonstration, it offers stipends and transportation, which has significantly increased girls’ presence in primary and secondary schools. This shows that if financial barriers are resolved many girls can be allowed by their families to study in schools by their parents. Its major achievements are particularly in rural areas where girls’ participation has increased and this initiative demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to education equality. Hence, PESRP is doing its best to empower girls’ education in the region.
- ✓ The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) – Waseela-e-Taleem
Another important initiative taken by Pakistan’s government is “The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) – Waseela-e-Taleem”. It has emerged as a game-changer in promoting girls’ education in Pakistan. It facilitates People with cash incentives to underprivileged families, conditional upon regular school attendance. To elucidate, over 5 million children, including a substantial number of girls, have been enrolled in schools through Waseela-e-Taleem, which is bridging the education gap in marginalized communities. This project’s achievements can be seen easily in rural Sindh and Balochistan, where girls’ education enrollment was previously dismal; Waseela-e-Taleem has enhanced girls’ enrollment by up to 33%. Thus, BISP is empowering girls and contributing to Pakistan’s socio-economic progress.
- ✓ Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC)
Moving further, Pakistan has introduced the “Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC)” for female education. It actually illustrates the international attainment to increase female education, Mainly in marginalized communities, demonstrating the power of collaborative initiatives in bridging the education gap. It is basically the UK project that runs in different countries: GEC’s interventions in countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, and South Sudan have yielded remarkable results, with over 700,000 girls benefiting from improved educational opportunities. The project achievements in Pakistan’s northern regions have increased girls’ enrollment by 45%, illustrating the initiative’s transformative impact. Therefore, by fostering global partnerships and community engagement, it is effectively tackling the complex challenges faced by girls, thereby endorsing weak background females by shaping their future.
- ✓ Taleem Foundation (TF)
Going down the ladder, another important girl’s education initiative is the Taleem Foundation (TF). Which is working as a vital catalyst and is a non-governmental organization that assists Many girls towards education in Pakistan, Particularly, in remote and underserved areas. It is dedicated to bridging the education limitations by operating Schools in impoverished regions. It provides a quality education to marginalized girls, mainly focusing on Balochistan, one of Pakistan’s most educationally deprived provinces, addressing its infrastructure and resource deficiencies, and ensuring accessible learning environments. Taleem Foundation’s interventions have led to a significant increase in girls’ enrollment, with over 7,000 students benefiting from those schools. This project’s achievement is to increase the girl’s interest in education by up to 25% in the remote district of Khuzdar. Thus, the Taleem Foundation project is facilitating socio-economic progress and contributing to the country’s development.
- ✓ Sindh Education Foundation (SEF)
Moreover, Pakistan also promotes female education in Sindh province through “The Sindh Education Foundation (SEF).” It plays a significant role in magnifying educational outcomes in Sindh rural areas while illustrating the impact of targeted interventions on literacy rates; beyond the shadow of any doubt, this school adoption program introduced training of teachers and community engagement. It has improved learning environments and academic performance. Illustratively, SEF’s schools have achieved a remarkable 84% passing rate in Board exams, which has surpassed the provincial averages. Its achievements have a significant positive impact on literacy rates, especially among girls in districts: Tharparkar, Umer-kot, and Khairpur. Therefore, SEF’s efforts have contributed substantially to Sindh’s and boomed it toward universal education and empowering backward areas girls.
- ✓ Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Insaf Afternoon Schools Initiative program
Next, the KPK province government also promoted girls’ education via ‘The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Insaf Afternoon Schools Initiative’. It spearheaded the efforts to bridge the educational divide in the province’s unprivileged areas. Accordingly, it was established by the provincial government to address the pressing issue of out-of-school children, which has provided free education to students, particularly, girls were their main target to empower. As evidence, The Insaf Afternoon Schools have enrolled over 200,000 students, and they are significantly focusing on girls’ education. Achievements of this programme are: in areas of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), it has been observed that many girls are enrolled, approximately 35 per cent. This shows that this program is revolutionizing education in areas that were previously troubled by militancy and poverty. Thus, the KP Insaf Afternoon Schools Initiative has effectively narrowed the educational divide that highlights the government’s commitment to inclusive education and socio-economic development in the region.
- ✓ Malala Fund Programme (MFP)
Last but not least, the Government of Pakistan also allowed ‘The Malala Fund (MFP)’ to promote girls’ education in the country. This programme has come here to enlighten Pakistanis, especially girls, to access quality education. This organization works to counter the barriers that are hindering girls’ education in rural areas. The swat valley of Pakistan is one such example, MFP has established: schools, trained teachers, and facilitated with scholarships that benefited thousands of girls. However, the achievements of this project are mainly the enrollment of girls in the Shangla District; approximately 51 per cent opted for education over a wedding at an early age. Therefore, the MFP has provided a driving engine for advancing girls’ education in the country as well as globally.
Critical Analysis
Under the critical framework, India’s “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” initiative has made remarkable leaps forward in promoting girls’ education; It has increased enrollment and awareness in respective regions. On the same manner, Pakistan has launched programs like PESRP and so on projects for girls ‘education. Although advancements in girls’ education have been made, both nations still lag behind in education as compared to the Western countries that are uplifting females in the education sector. Moreover, many rural areas lack access to quality education, with some regions having girls unable to write their names in both countries. This means the projects are working mainly in particular regions, not everywhere, and also, every successive government ignores its further development. Therefore, it’s time to draw the line; India and Pakistan have had a complex history, with male dominance in their cultures, which often hinders women’s rights and education initiatives and results in ineffective policy implementation and limited access to quality education.
Conclusion
Towards the crux, India’s “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” initiative has made forward headway by empowering the education and rights of girls. In a similar vein, Pakistan has also taken several initiatives that aim to promote and enhance girls’ education in the country. Simply put, these programs in both countries are vital for meeting head-on gender inequality and promoting sustainable development through education because girls’ education is a determinative turning point for socioeconomic growth, which benefits individuals, communities, and nations.
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