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