Women Education, Women Empowerment and Real Social Change in Balochistan
Women empowerment Conference held at Sardar Bahadar Khan Women’s University Quetta. This was international Women Conference to empower the female youth of Balochistan. Intellectuals, researchers, Sociologists, writers, journalists, politicians and women rights activists speaks at the Conference. Different Papers on social aspects were also presented. | ویمن امپاورمنٹ پر کانفرنس اور کوئٹہ کی ویمنز یونیورسٹی
مضامینِ نو ۔۔ ویمن امپاورمنٹ پر کانفرنس اور کوئٹہ کی ویمنز یونیورسٹی
Real Revolution Begins with a Change in Thinking
A real revolution is not based on an accident or a catalyst. Revolution is the name of a change of hearts, a broadening of thinking and the correctness of intention. This is the revolution that, although slow, is sustainable, and then real change emerges from it. While leaders and spiritual leaders play a role, the most important part in such a revolution is education.
The Importance of Girls’ Education
Education is something that not only causes a change in a person’s thinking and his ideas, but also directly affects the social fabric of any society. And if this education is given to a girl, then its impact goes beyond one individual to many people and even future generations. It is possible that no immediate visible change is seen from the education of a girl, but its effects definitely come to the fore, even if it is late and then its consequences are far-reaching.
In societies like ours, girls’ education is also important because its effects are not limited to just one family or neighborhood, but two families and two neighborhoods are affected by it.
A Glimpse of Change in Balochistan
I saw a glimpse of such a change a few weeks ago at the Women’s University of Balochistan during an international conference on women’s empowerment and leadership.
Sardar Bahad Khan Women’s University is the only women’s university in Balochistan, which was founded in 2004. The university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr. Rukhsana Jabeen, said that the university started with about 80 female students and currently the number of female students here is more than ten thousand. This is talking about the main campus in Quetta, while in a few years, sub-campuses of the university have also been opened in Pishin, Noshki and Khuzdar.
A Policy Decision Based on Ground Realities
One thing is fundamental and that is that whatever decision the policy makers make keeping in mind the ground realities, its results will always be positive.
The person or team is commendable who founded a university purely for women in Balochistan. That team is also commendable because it took this decision keeping in mind the social traditions of this province.
If more than a hundred co-educational universities had been established in Balochistan, leaving aside the traditions, the results in terms of women’s education that have been achieved by the establishment of this one women’s university would not have been achieved.
More than ten thousand girls studying in different departments of this institution will not only influence twenty thousand families but will also persuade the families living around these twenty thousand families to send their daughters to study. Now since the environment of the institution to which they are to be sent is to some extent compatible with their social traditions, in that the fellows as well as the teachers are also women, it will be relatively easy to change the thinking and make a decision.
International Conference on Women’s Empowerment and Leadership
An international conference on the topic of women empowerment and leadership is organized every year at Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University. This year was the sixth conference in which experts and intellectuals from Pakistan as well as foreign countries were invited as speakers.
I received this invitation for the first time, for which I am very grateful to the university administration and especially Dr. Azam Kakar.
In this two-day conference, women’s rights were discussed and the problems faced by them were also mentioned. The speakers emphasized that girls should actively participate in all spheres of life and play a role in building society through their education. On this occasion, eminent women also informed the students about their life situations and encouraged them to move forward in practical life without any fear.
A Different Kind of Discussion
Although a lot is written and spoken on this topic. Many institutions also work in this regard. In this context, numerous conferences and seminars are also organized.
But they often have one thing in common and that is that a particular ideology, thought and way of thinking is not left out and such an atmosphere prevails at the events that even if a speaker with a dissenting opinion is present, he is not able to speak.
In such events, a particular thought is expressed without understanding the situation and acknowledging the facts and then there is talk of forcibly applying it to society.
But the atmosphere of this conference and the discussions held here were a bit different. Here, with the participation of people with different views and opinions, the topic was discussed from every angle.
