M. Shahjahan Memon
Baby Bagri is best known for her indefatigable educational and welfare efforts for her community in Kamber city of Sindh which is otherwise socially excluded and institutionally neglected one. She deserves laudable appreciation in a country where millions of children are still out of school due to a number of factors and where gender disparity in education still remains. Bagri community is categorized as a lowest Hindu caste; deprived and discriminated by majority which is largely confined to begging and menial work to sustain. As government and private schools are still not conducive for the Bagri community due to class and ethnicity. Baby realized the need for opening a school in order to uplift her community out of poverty and ignorance through education and skills when she herself faced discrimination in school in her childhood. Her role as a woman in a society which is largely a patriarchal one is admirable. Ms Baby runs Sant Heera Lal Chand primary and middle school for the past 6 years with the support of locals and donations where hundreds of children from her community are currently enrolled in addition to Preet Vocational training center in order to equip girls and women with employable skills. As per her recent press conference she painfully announced to close her school and a vocational training center after mounting pressure by regressive elements and persistent harassment issues to her and girls students. Baby is of the view that ever since she started schooling she is continued to be harassed and blackmailed to close down her institutes. Baby’s story is a painful reminder of how vulnerable a girl’s education still is. It shows that girl’s education is still viewed as a threat by some. One needs to understand the fact that any attack on girls’ education is an attack on a nation as they are equal partners for the progress of a nation as a whole. It goes without saying that education is an inviolable right of every citizen. State is bound by law to provide free education up to 16 years. If state abdicates its responsibility, individual like Baby rescues children of her ignored community from darkness, child begging and child labor. It is vehemently urged to protect education and protect those who continue to facilitate education and arrest those elements who continue to harass Baby Bagri so that light of education can be continued to be illuminated as education is of paramount importance for every nation. Such incidents further marginalize the already marginalized community. Although such treatment is not limited to a particular segment of the society but instances like this don’t bode well and spark outrage at home and abroad. The state should strive for equal opportunities for everyone, everywhere regardless of any distinction among citizenry.
