Looks Good From Far, But Far From Good

Havell Markus

Dr. Allison Parker

ENG 102

11 June 2014

As a common saying goes: “People should fight their own battles instead of having others fight it for them”.  As cliché as that quote sounds, it definitely holds its merits, especially in the recent conversations revolving around the Human Right to Education.  After spending countless hours reading various articles relating to the Right to Education (RTE) on the popular news channels — CNN, The New York Times, Huffington Post, and Aljazeera — that quote perfectly captured my expression.  Now you might be wondering what is all the commotion about RTE and people fighting their own fights.  Well let me tell you!  I noticed governments of many African countries and nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and India should be ashamed of their hollow efforts to ensure the every child’s Right to Education.  These government’s actions look good from far, but are far from good.  Other humanitarian organizations such as UNICEF, UN Watch, Islamic Human Right Commissions, etc. have contributed more to their country’s fight to achieve global educational goals than their own efforts.  Today I want to highlight one such country that fails to fight for their own rights.    

Malala's Speech at the United Nations

The name “Malala Yousafzai”, does it ring a bell?  That name used to belong to an ordinary Pakistani girl, but now it has become a global icon of the girls’ right to education.  This15 year old was a victim of an attempted assassination by the Taliban in October 2013 simply because she raised her voice for wanting all girls to go to school (Hays).  As cruel and inhumane as that sounds, wait until you hear about the Pakistani government’s callous and heartless response to the incidence.  In his article “Ghost Education”, Huma Yusuff, a columnist for the Pakistani newspaper Dawn and a renowned scholar, discusses about the political stunt the government played by passing the “Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill” in 2012.  In the article, Yusuff directs its reader’s attention to many facts that highlight the fallouts of the bill.  He states, “Twenty-five million children are currently out of school, including seven million who have yet to receive any form of primary schooling… Infrastructure is inadequate: Only 62 percent of public schools have toilets and only 39 percent have electricity… 25,000 so-called ghost schools in Pakistan, schools that exist on paper but are used for other purposes… Only 2.3 percent of Pakistan’s 2012-13 budget is allocated to education, compared with 18.4 percent of gross domestic product for defense” (Yusuf).  All these facts are cited with credible governmental database, and researched articles.  This builds to the logos and ethos of Yusuf’s argument since he shows his argument is reliable and credible.  He uses all these facts to draw a logical conclusion that “the law’s timing makes it seem more like a political calculation than a true commitment” (Yusuf).  Thus, he effectively shows the bill intends to demonstrate to the world the Pakistani government’s official commitment to universal education; however, it is useless because “the government does not take further budgetary action to implement it”. 

The Image shows a young Pakistani girl studying.

This article really opens readers eyes, and really troubles them.  How could a government be so devious?  Is it not the government job to uphold its citizen’s welfare?  Through passing such an empty law, which only seeks to win votes rather than helping children in need is sickening.  Pakistani government used the incidence of an innocent girl to pull a political stunt in front of their citizens and the entire world.  This all leads to one conclusion, all Pakistani citizens must unite and combine their efforts to place responsible leaders who will look after and protect their rights.  Humanitarian organizations could only go so far, since even they have limits.  If the people themselves cannot fight for their own rights, how can someone else?  If the people cannot show a lot of care for their own right to education, how can some one else care more about it?  If Malala Yousafzai, a 15 year old girl, could stand up against the notorious Taliban and societal constraints to fight for her educational right as a girl, is it too much to ask others to do the same?  Humanitarian organizations will always be by sides of individuals who have their rights infringed upon; however, it is time for people themselves to stand on their own sides. 

Work Cited:

Yusuff, Huma. "Ghost Education." Latitude Ghost Education Comments. The New
           York Times, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 June 2014.

Hays, Julie. "Pakistani Teen Inspires Others to Fight for Education." CNN. Cable
           News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 12 June 2014.