Fighting Against Ignorance

The author Askale Giday, is 14 years old and attends her local high school student in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

Overall literacy rates are low in Ethiopia, but there is also a wide gap between male and female literacy rates. In 2000, 39.7 per cent of males were literate compared to only 19.4 per cent of females. The reasons for girls not attending school, especially in rural areas, include early marriage, distance to school and parents' attitudes. The Millennium Development Goals call for countries to end gender disparity in primary and higher education ideally by 2005, and at all levels by 2015. The Ethiopian government is currently working towards achieving this goal.

There was a girl called Tigist Teshome, who lived in Addis Ababa. She was born in 1979 to her father Ato Teshome Girma and her mother Bizunesh. She was a very hard working student. As she often came first in her class, she won a lot of prizes.

Although she was very serious about her education, Tigist had a big problem with her family. Her parents thought that there was no point educating girls. According to them, girls should stay at home and help their parents, and then, after the age of fifteen, she should get married to keep her parents happy. So, what use does a girl make of her education?

Her parents' way of thinking comes from the fact that they are uneducated themselves and live in a remote rural area. Tigist continued to try to convince them. She worked hard and managed to complete grade five. But, at the end of the school year, her father told her she must either stop studying and get married or leave the house. Tigist was very sad about her father’s decision. She cried for several days. She did not know what to do. After thinking about it a lot, she had an idea. She decided to talk to her uncle, who had taught her English in Grade 5, about her parents’ decisions.

She went to the school and found her uncle and told him all about her problems. He was very angry at the decision of her family. He encouraged her to convince her parents of the importance of her education. He also promised to do everything he could to convince them. Tigist was happy with her uncle’s views. She went back home with some hope and confidence.

The next morning, Tigist’s uncle came to her house. At first, they all talked about family matters, but, finally, Tigist's uncle brought up the real reason for his visit. He asked Tigist's father why he wouldn't let her go to school. Tigist's father firmly told him that education was no use to Tigist because, “she has to help us at home. She has had enough education. It is time that she prepared herself to get married.”

Tigist's uncle decided to make his opinions known. He told Tigist's father that when girls go to school and get an education it benefits the girls and their families. He also pointed out that educated girls can contribute to the development of their country. He warned Tigist's father that she was too young to do any housework and “neither”, he added, “is she old enough to get married and understand what marriage means.”

Tigist's father was very angry when he heard his brother's opinions, “Any education beyond what Tigist has done is meant for boys. Are you daring to tell me that Tigist can go to senior school like boys? How can she manage? What capacity does a girl have to contribute to the development of this family? She doesn’t have the ability to help herself, let alone her country. Then, you are telling me that she is too young to do any housework. Am I going to work just to feed her?”

Tigist's uncle politely told her father that girls could be doctors, teachers, pilots, administrators, engineers or good farmers, if they get the proper education and training. “Don’t you see what these professionals can contribute to the advancement of this country? It's the education and skills that matter, not whether someone is a boy or a girl. So, if girls are properly educated and trained, they can contribute as much as boys to bring about changes in their country's development,” he said.

Tigist's father still wasn't convinced, “What chance do girls have of becoming doctors and engineers? Are you kidding? Can you give me a living example of female doctor or engineer in our community? Let them learn how to handle their home affairs first. Do you think I'm stupid enough to think that Tigist can become a doctor or an engineer? She has to get married soon.” He was so angry that his whole body was shaking.

“What?” Tigist's uncle was shocked.

“I said I am going to get her married”, Tigist's father repeated.

“You can't do that”, said Tigist's uncle, equally firmly. “That is sheer ignorance. What sense can this little girl make out of marriage? It is just impossible.”

Tigist's uncle decided to try and convince his brother in a calm way. “Please, I don’t want to argue with you anymore over this. Listen to me. Tigist is still too young to get married. If she married at this age, she is going to face physical, mental, social and moral problems, especially if she gets pregnant when she's this young. It would be very dangerous for her and the baby. You and your family are going to regret this step, if she or the baby dies.”

Tigist's father was shocked to hear this, “What? Did you say that the baby or the mother might die? Is my child going to die because of early marriage? It can't be true. Why are you looking only at the dark side of marriage? I married her mother when she was her age. Nothing bad happened. This is sheer spite. You should never say that to me again.”

“It is not a matter of wishing you bad luck,” said Tigist's uncle. “I only mean that Tigist should continue with her education. Let her finish her education. Marriage at this stage of life is not good for her. You are going to regret it, if you force her to get married now. Let her learn first and she can decide about her marriage later on. The only thing that is important for her now is her education. If you really love her, let her continue with her education.”

“Why don’t you just leave me alone?” shouted Tigist's father. “I have already made an arrangement for Tigist’s marriage. The boy is from a wealthy and noble family. She is going to lead a happy and luxurious life. He has promised to give me a good sum of money. Please leave me alone, I have already made a firm decision. I can not change my mind. Don’t try and force me to change my mind.”

But Tigist's uncle would not give up. “Do you really mean to give your child away for the sake of money? Please, imagine what type of problems you are going to face tomorrow by exchanging your child for the rich man’s money. Imagine if she gets pregnant soon, she might bleed too much when giving birth. As I told you earlier, this would mean death to both her and her baby. You seem more bothered about the money than you are about the life of your daughter. If she gets a good education, she can give you much more money than you are going to get from that man. You will be a good example as the only father of an educated daughter in the community. She will also be the pride of the family, the community and the country at large if she gets a good education and some training. So, please, give up the idea of marriage and accept the idea of her getting a good education, and you will enjoy the result. Let her continue with her education”

Tigist's father remained silent for a while. It was clear he was thinking about all the things his brother had said. “What's wrong?” asked Tigist's uncle, looking at his brother's expression.

“Nothing,” Tigist's father said, “nothing's happened to me. I am thinking about what you said about ignorance and what it means for me. I didn’t get an education either. A lot of things have been going through my mind ever since you mentioned that Tigist can make me and even her country proud of her, if she gets a good education and training. Thank you, you've taught me a lot. I was going to do harm to my child, my country and myself. Now I understand things better. I am not going to force her to get married any more. I will not even mention it in front of her. She will continue with her education. I will do everything possible to support her education. I will ask her to forgive me for the way I have disrupted her education.

Tigist's uncle was very pleased by the change in attitude that his arguments had brought about. He rose up and said, “Brother, you have really honored me, let God honor you.”

They hugged and kissed each other. Then he went out and told Tigist about the result of the discussion. She jumped up and down. She did not know what to say. She hugged and kissed her uncle. Her father also kissed her and said, “My daughter, please excuse me. I did not mean to hurt you. I was only trying to respect our culture. I did not understand how much your education meant to you. It is because I have not been educated. Please forgive me.”

Tigist responded triumphantly. “It is alright Dad! I am just glad that you have changed your mind and said yes at last.”

Tigist's uncle was pleased that he'd managed to resolve the problem and had given Tigist the opportunity to continue her studies. Tigist continued her studies and finally earned a first-degree.