Teaching in a village in northern Pakistan

Kishwar, Pakistan

Primary school teacher

Tell us about yourself and your work
My name is Kishwar and I am a primary school teacher. I grew up in a village in northern Pakistan with my parents and five brothers and one sister. After metric I continued with college and PTC (Primary Teaching Course). I got a job right away in a school in a remote mountain village, where I was the only teacher. I taught about 100 kids KG – 5th grade! It was a challenge and lots of work, but I was very happy. I lived in the village and earned the respect and love from the whole village. I would be there for about 3 weeks and then go home for 4 – 5 days. For 5 years I worked there.
I was so well liked that somebody in the village went to my parents to ask for me to marry a relative in another village in the area! This is what happened and after the wedding I moved to my husband’s family and got transferred to the village school there. There were 2 other teachers there.
I have a desire to keep learning, so I first did my Masters and then B Ed. I would like to continue my education.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?
I have always liked children and decided early that I wanted to be a teacher. As a child I remember how teachers in school would become angry with weak children and that upset me. I wanted to help and encourage the weak and needy children.
From the beginning I have wanted not only to teach academics, but also moral and other matters. My mother has been an example to me as she has always cared for and wanted to help people in need. But she often did not have money to help as she wanted and I thought that when I grow up I shall earn my own money and I can fulfill my mother’s desire to help others.
My family encouraged me in the decision to become a teacher.

Why is education important for girls and women?
This is especially important in villages and rural areas, where women often know very little. They have no self-confidence and will often not take initiative even to go to the doctor, for example. An uneducated woman is often ruled by fear. She has no or very little control of her life. But with education she can think for herself and make good decisions.
If a mother is educated, she can better take care of and teach her children. Because education starts on the mother’s lap. She will know and understand more about health and nutrition.
She can work from home, with tuition or some other small business, and earn money for the family.
She can better understand and discern between truth and lie.
Many more women can now work outside the home compared to 30-40 years ago. The need for nurses and women doctors is very big in Pakistan, as many women will not want to be treated by a man.

Can you give an example of the impact that the education has had on a family?
In the village there was this poor family. The husband suffered from epilepsy and depression and could not work. His wife had only been 8 years in school but was very capable and hardworking. She started teaching sewing to girls and women in the village, for a small fee. She was determined to give their children education so she worked hard she would go to the schoolteachers and ask them for advice. They lent her money to buy a goat, which she cared for very well and the family got milk. Slowly she has made improvements to the home. She started growing vegetables and is also making snacks to sell, to help meet the growing educational expenses. Now the oldest girls are teenagers and are doing very well. The couple borrowed money to buy a small plot and the husband is now growing tomatoes.
This woman inspires me and is a great, respected example for others in the village. Through her knowledge, love and determination she has raised her family out of misery and given her children a good, strong platform to dream and build their own lives.

What challenges/barriers do girls and women face in receiving an education?
Lack of money is a big problem for poor families.
If the school is far away, girls and young women cannot go alone.
Some families still don’t see the value of girls’ education.

Are there differences in the value of education for girls compared to boys?
I live in a male dominated society and the difference has been very big. But it is changing, thankfully, and I see a growing awareness of the importance for girls to be educated. I see a big change even since I started teaching 20 years ago, both in my village and in Pakistan.

What are the challenges you face in teaching?
Not many resources.
Not much paid leave (when sick or having baby)
There are still parents who don’t see the value of educating their daughters.

Why do you continue teaching on difficult days?
I am committed to my work; it is not a burden. Sometimes when I have had much tension in my marriage it was relaxing to be in school.
We teachers support and help each other.
There is much joy and love in teaching, both giving and receiving.
I need the pay – my husband has been without work for several years

What inspires you most for your work as a teacher?
The greatest inspiration is when I can help the children and make a difference in their lives. I live in an area with lots of poverty and problems. I also care about their home situation, because it effects their ability to learn and grow.
Every day we start the school day with each one of us sharing a positive thing we have done or seen.
I love my students and have also received a lot of love back, both from students and their parents. Sometimes when I come to school there are flowers on my chair.
I know that I am a role model for many girls and young women. “We want to be like Kishwar Chachi”

Kishwar agrees to post this story on the Noora Wellbeing blog.