Dialogue OPENS
DOORS TO EDUCATION
IN DIAMER
by Katie Smith
We realized that the root causes of the
“ societal problems is illiteracy and the uneducated people have created problems for our society. To eradicate such problems we need proper educated society. In this way we can make a balanced and prosperous society. Mufti Imtiaz Dareli”
In 2011 it seemed the conservative district of Diamer, Pakistan would never accept education, especially for girls. Many organizations, including CAI, attempted to bring education to this remote and isolated region of northern Pakistan. They were met with distrust and reluctance. Schools built by well-meaning organizations sat abandoned, and many people gave up hope that the religious leaders would ever see the value in educating their children.
Saidullah Baig, director of Central Asia Institute-Gilgit, one of CAI’ s partners in Pakistan, never gave up hope. In the spring of 2017 he met with the mullahs( religious leaders) and muftis( Muslim legal experts who are empowered to give rulings on religious matters) to discuss their hesitation towards education and the needs of the community. Saidullah answered their concerns and they developed a plan to increase the number of homeschools in the district and to repair and reopen a high school that had been built but never used.
This summer he sat down with Mufti Imtiaz Dareli, a religious leader and teacher at the government-run Phugach Darel School in Diamer. They spoke about the changing attitudes toward education, especially for girls, and why education is key to the future of the people.
EDUCATION SOLVES SOCIETAL ISSUES
“ Education will increase the number of literate people, and it will wipe out the ignorance.”
Imtiaz is clear and exacting on these issues. It has taken time for the mullahs to see that education will not harm their people, that it will help them. He says not only will education help the people prosper, but it will also reduce crime and help them overcome
34 | JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE