EVERY parent cherishes the hope of bestowing upon their children an education superior to that which circumstance once permitted them, believing that knowledge alone can lift a family from the constraints of limited means and open doors long closed. Islam itself places the highest value upon learning, for the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) declared that the seeking of knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim, male and female alike. The first revealed word of the Holy Qur’an was “Iqra”—Read—and this divine command admits of no distinction of gender. In the early days of Islam, many women of learning including Ummat-ul-Momineen and in particular Hazrat Ayesha (RA), was a scholar of profound insight whose counsel was sought by the Companions themselves. Yet in later centuries, among many communities, greater store was set by the schooling of sons, while the instruction of daughters was frequently held contrary to local custom and tradition. Many households regarded a girl’s place as confined to the domestic sphere, deeming formal learning unnecessary or even undesirable for her.

The present age, however, has witnessed a heartening and steady advance in the education of girls, in keeping with the true spirit of the faith. Female literacy among those aged ten and above has risen to fifty-four per cent according to the latest figures of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, while the long-standing gender gap has narrowed........

© Pakistan Observer