Flora Teckie
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, observed annually on March 8, it is timely to reflect on the importance of education and empowerment of our daughters, and on their contribution to the advancement of our nations and to that of humanity.
Education and empowerment of every child – their personality, talents, mental and physical abilities, and spiritual qualities to their fullest potential, is the right of every child, whether a girl or a boy. Education of girls is not only a human right. It is also in the best interests of our communities.
The Bahá’í Writings say education must be provided for all, and equally to boys and girls. The Universal House of Justice, the governing council of the Bahá’í international community states that: “The cause of universal education … deserves the utmost support that the governments of the world can lend it. For ignorance is indisputably the principal reason for the decline and fall of peoples and the perpetuation of prejudice. No nation can achieve success unless education is accorded all its citizens.”
The advancement of society requires the full participation of everyone. For this to happen, girls, as well as boys, must be valued by their families and society and given equal opportunities in all fields of human endeavour.
In a family, while both parents share in the overall responsibility of educating their children, the mother is given recognition as “the first educator of the child, and the most important formative influence in his development”.
Emphasising the importance of educating our daughters, who will become future mothers, the Universal House of Justice says: “The decision-making agencies involved would do well to consider giving first priority to the education of women and girls, since it is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge can be most effectively and rapidly diffused throughout society.”
The education and empowerment of girls is vital, not only because they will, as mothers, be the first educators but also for the well-being and advancement of our communities. Mothers can be the agents for change, empowering the new generation to transform our communities. They can instil in their children the self-esteem, respect for others and love for humanity: essential for building peaceful communities and advancing civilisation.
The shift in values and attitudes needed for giving equal rights and opportunities to girls, requires profound changes in our hearts and minds and in the structures of society. It begins with the understanding that the equality of women and men is not only a desired condition for the common good: it is a dimension of human reality.
The governing council of the Bahá’í International Community states: “The equality of men and women is … a universal spiritual truth about an aspect of the nature of human beings … It is, above all, a requirement of justice. The principle is consonant with the highest rectitude of conduct, its application strengthens family life and it is essential to the regeneration and progress of any nation, the peace of the world, and the advancement of civilisation.”
The challenge today is how to create the conditions in which girls can develop to their full potential.
The Bahá’í Writings state: “Men and women are equal in the sight of God … there is no distinction to be made between them. The only difference between them now is due to lack of education and training. If woman is given equal opportunity of education, distinction and estimate of inferiority will disappear.”
Flora Teckie is a professional architect, a Bahá’í Faith follower, and spiritual columnist.
The Star