The significance of education in my life; promoting gender equality and empowering women

I was three years old when a serious discussion took birth in my house; should I get a chance to go to school or not? This may be a simple question for most of the families when a child comes the age to go to school but genuinely this was serious in my case as at the very moment my parents were not in the condition to afford the extra income for my school expenditure. But thanks to my mom and dad who finally decided to work some extra hours for my education. Finally, I was at school and since then neither my parents nor me had taken a second thought about not continuing it.

In my society, where most of the people don't hesitate to mock the value of education by comparing it with the size of an elephant saying, "has the elephant grown big by getting education or has the ant become small by not getting education?" it is very difficult to discover the significance of education in a person's life as the significance is intrinsic and it's even more difficult when it's a female.

For me, the significance of education doesn't lie in being a scientist one day or achieving distinction marks in academic exams; similarly it's also not the means of earning money. Instead for me, education is the constant encouragement through which I get confidence to do any work. I get a hope in my life whenever I am in any problem; the problem may be personal or social but it's the power of education that shows me the path to move on in the way of solving it. If I hadn't been educated, I would have run away from the complexities of my life, but I never do that as I have the strength of tolerance, which of course comes from the blessing of education.

Education has not only made me efficient in whatever I do, but it has also made me complete. I am who I am today simply because of education. It has given me a name, an identity in the male dominated society which, I think, I would have overlooked as other female members of my society if I hadn't been educated. By reading the biography of the most influential persons, I get inspiration to go far beyond in my life. By observing the society, I get an integrated understanding of life which I bet I would have never ever been able to observe if education hadn't worked as my third eye. I am transforming and with me the society is transforming. I am being inspired and with me the whole society is being inspired. I am learning and with me the whole society is learning. Every change is being possible because I am educated and with my education I am educating others.

Today, I dream because I know that I have the potential to fulfill my dreams. I dream of a beautiful life, a beautiful society and a beautiful world where no one is deprived of going to school. I work as an education activist with the aim that one day I would, with the joint effort of others,make our place educated and integrated. Thanks to education that I have a dream as there are many other people who are fearful of having a dream as they can't dare to fulfill it. Education has given me the power to dream and the strength to fulfill my dream.

My parents opted to provide me education then and now I want other parents to choose the same path. I want others to walk through the same path that education has provided me as I know, though there are challenges, the path is safe to move. Education has made me kind enough to understand other's problems and help them. It has inculcated the behavior of sharing in me so that I desire to share whatever I have learnt with others. I must say, education has given me the wings, which I can flap and fly higher and higher to reach my destination; my dream of changing the family, changing the society, changing the nation and changing the whole world.

I am me, an independent person and no other can take over the credit of giving me this feeling of independency other than education. I have a meaningful life, a significant life just because of education. Unfortunately, there are several children who are deprived from leading a meaningful life. There are context and cultures due to which many children can't go to school, especially the girls. That's why now, as education has made me capable enough to raise my voice for them, I would work for them. What is the significance of learning in our life if we don't use it for the betterment of every one? It's easy to mock others but difficult to prove. I am the one who hasa dream to prove the significance of what education has given me, after all this power to prove is also given to me by education.

By: Bhawana Shrestha
Nepal