May I present: Manjita, Chandani and Kajal – a teacher, a gynecologist and a lawyer.
Eighth graders Manjita, Chandani, and Kajal are sitting in an empty classroom, ready for this interview. They are all wearing their school uniform: a light blue shirt paired with either a dark blue skirt or trousers. Kajal also wears a tie, which is part of the uniform. In Nepal, not every girl has the chance to go to school, but thankfully, Manjita, Chandani, and Kajal do.
These talkative girls have their future and dream jobs clear. Each of them wants to make a difference in addressing the challenges they see in their community and home country.
– Only few in our community speak English, even though you hear and see it everywhere. I want to help people and that is why I want to be an English teacher, Manjita smiles and glances over to her own English teacher who is organizing the classroom.
Chandani is planning to go to Kathmandu to study medicine – and to become a gynecologist.
– In our community we need more female doctors, since girls don´t always have the courage to speak freely to male doctors, says Chandani.
Kajal on the other hand wants to be a lawyer, so that also women’s voice would be heard in the court room.
– I want to fight against the dowry culture here, Kajal states.
Lack of education increases inequality
These 15-year-old girls have already noticed, how unequally girls and boys are treated in their community. Kajal for example knows a girl, who was married of at the age of 16.
The girls think that child marriages are dangerous.
– When a mother herself is still a child and gives birth to a child, they are both at risk, the girls explain.
In their opinion, the dowry system is one of the biggest problems in their community.
To provide a dowry, the father needs money, but families often also give jewelry, cars, and sometimes even land. Since marriage is expensive, families are reluctant to invest in a girl’s education, as she will eventually leave the family.
– If there wouldn´t be dowry system anymore, the girls would be educated more. Now girls are totally depending on their spouse, says Kajal.
The boys on the other hand have easier access to school. This creates a cycle that fuels girls’ lack of education and boys’ education. This in turn creates new challenges.
Parents shouldn´t treat girls and boys differently.
– Parents shouldn´t treat girls and boys differently. If everyone had the same possibilities, child marriages and dowries would end, Chandani, Kajal and Manjita say.
An educated mother means better future for the whole family
Kajal, Manjita, and Chandani understand the importance of education because they have learned about it in the kids’ club run by Fida and its local partner, Relative Nepal, in their community. They know that education is the key to ending the cycle of poverty.
– We need education. If we don´t have access to it, we don’t have enough knowledge about the world. If a mother is educated, she will educate her family and they all get better livelihood and life, Kajal states.
That is why investing in quality education, teacher training, and raising awareness in the community is so important. The girls explain that there are differences among teachers – some are good, while others are not.
– I do not like teachers, who are unkind or cannot help us students, Manjita argues.
The girls think that kindness and problem-solving skills are the most important features of a teacher.
– A good teacher treats everyone equally, adds Chandani.
Kajal says that a good teacher should treat their students the same way they would treat their own children.
In addition to good teachers, learning materials and a peaceful classroom are essential for a school. Chandani points out how important it is, that the school is close to their community. The girls believe that technology classes and computer labs are essential, as they provide the necessary skills needed even in remote areas.
When we are educated, we need to stay in Nepal. Our job is to develop our own country.
– We want to change the world one person at a time. To be able to do that, we need education, because only education gives knowledge about the world and new technology. When we are educated, we need to stay in Nepal. Our job is to develop our own country, Kajal explains enthusiastically.
Support for education is the key for Kajal, Chandani, and Manjita to achieve their goals and make a difference.
