Every day, we as students across America get up, get dressed, and go to school. We often complain about the mountain upon mountains of homework we have, or that there is not enough time in the day to do everything we want to do. We go to bed every night dreading the next school day.
What if we did not to go to school?
Imagine waking up in the morning to help prepare breakfast for the rest of the family, waving your brothers off to school, a place where you could never go. Instead, you simply clean the house and do all the chores until your brothers come home. When they arrive, you help your mother make dinner and serve it whenever your father arrives home from work. The men talk about their days while you just sit there, wondering what a life would be like outside of this household. You go to bed that night, knowing that the following days will continue the same.
According to USAID.gov, 62 million girls face this reality every day, and most face crueler conditions. Millions more struggle to stay in school and still fight to get their education. Even if a girl’s parents can pay the school fees, there are still dangers for a girl attending school. One of the most famous examples is Malala Yousafzai. In case you have never heard of Malala, here is a brief summary of her story.
In 2012, Malala was riding on the bus, she was going home from school like so many other girls. The bus stopped, and a masked gunman boarded the bus. He asked which girl was Malala. When he figured out which student she was, he shot her on the left side of her head. Malala Yousafzai should have died on that school bus; however, she did not. Today, she is one of the biggest advocate’s for women’s global education and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December of 2014.
In 2015 alone, there were 185 attacks on schools and hospitals in Afghanistan, according to CNN. The majority of those attacks were claimed by groups who opposed girl’s education. By 2018, that number had gone up to 192 attacks at Afghan schools. In one of those attacks, on Aug. 15, 2018, at least 40 students were killed and many more injured.
Why do girls continue to fight for their education? Well, according to USAID.gov, an extra year of high school for many girls can increase their future earnings anywhere from 10 – 20 percent. Also, from an economically standpoints, if India enrolled one percent more girls into high school, 49,700,000 girls, their gross domestic product would increase by $5.5 million.
What can you do to improve this growing crisis? First, advocate. Use the voice you were given and speak up for injustices for women’s education across the world. For many women around the world, they are unable to use their voices to speak up for themselves.
Second, support and mentor a girl in the United States. Creating an atmosphere for young women to feel intelligent and accepted is of the biggest ways to improve a young girl’s education and self-confidence. There are various programs that you can get involved in like Big Brothers, Big Sisters, College Mentors for Kids, and many others. Talk with students, faculty, and friends to find out ways to get involved.
Last, get involved in the fight for equal education. Whether you want to go abroad and volunteer or want to research more about the inequalities of global education, the more people who become aware of the everyday challenges girls face in order to receive an education, the more likely change can and will occur. Educate yourself and educate others on women’s educational rights around the world.
School may seem like a hassle for students who have grown accustomed to the routine of going to class, doing homework, and doing it all over again the next day. For a little girl across an ocean, though, that may seem like a distant dream. So, the next time you are walking to your class with your Starbucks in hand, dreading your Literature class; think of the girl across the ocean who is sitting in class, hoping that one day she’ll get to go to high school, or college in a country where women’s education is accepted and embraced.