A Wise Decision

-Giving Education to Our Daughters

for a Brighter Future-

Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)

 STORY TEXT

There is a family in a mountain village.

The mother's name is Shanti, and the father's Deepak.

They have two lovely daughters, named Tara and Rita.

Tara is the elder daughter. She is 9 years old.

She is now in grade 3 in a primary school in the next village.
The school is far away from home.
It takes one and half hours to get there on her tiny feet.

To Instructors:

You should first narrate the text of the whole story from beginning to end without
Rita, the younger daughter, just turned 6 years old.
stopping. Then, you should go back to each illustration and generate Next year, she should start going to school.
discussions among the learners on the important messages in the illustration by
referring to the following 'Points for Discussion'.
The family has only just enough money to live on.
But the two girls are living happily with their parents.
-Points for Discussion-

There is no boy in the family.

* Ask the learners how many children (boys or girls) they
have, and if they send their children to school. Why or
why not?

* In this story, Tara's school is very far away from home.

Ask the learners how far the nearest school to their village
is. Discuss problems and their possible solutions.
 Wherever the mother, Shanti, goes, other village women
mock her behind her back.

"Poor Shanti... She has no son to help her earn money.

She and her husband will be in serious trouble when they get
old," says one woman.

"Poor family...The two girls will leave the parents after they
get married.
There will be no one to look after Shanti and Deepak," says
another.

One day, Shanti complains to her husband about the

-Points for Discussion- mocking of other women. She is deeply hurt.

"I'm sick and tired of other women gossiping about me not

Ask the learners:
having a son. They even say that I am a bad wife because of
that..."
* How do you feel about having only daughters?

* How are the families without male children looked at in

you village?

* If your were Shanti, how would you react to such

villagers' mocking?

-Points for Discussion-
Ask the learners:
* What is family planning? Why is it important?
* What are the obstacles to sending girls to school?
(e.g. only male teachers available, lack of awareness...)
* If teachers are all men, do you also hesitate to send your
daugher(s) to school? If yes, why?
* What do you think of Deepak's word," we should not limit
their opportunities just because of our old way of thinking"?
"My dear Shanti, don't let such gossip trouble you," says Deepak gently.
"You and I decided to practise family planning and have no more children.
We should be always thankful for what we have been given - our two
beautiful daughters."
"But Deepak, do you think that our daughters can take care of us
when we get old? They will soon get married , and they will leave home and
leave us...," Shanti sighs.
"Don't worry about that,"says Deepak.
"Even though the school is far away, we will let Tara continue her schooling.
I am also thinking of sending Rita to school from next year.
With the education they receive, Tara and Rita will give us valuable
information to make our lives better even after they get married."
Combing Tara's hair gently, Shanti says anxiously,
"Since all teachers are men, I am worried about her. I want her to quit
school.
Besides, education may not be necessary for girls..."
"Oh, Shanti," says Deepak.
"Please think of the future ahead of these young girls!
We should not limit their opportunities just because of our old way of
thinking."
"That's right, Deepak. I agree," Shanti nods.
 Everyday, Shanti and Deepak work very hard in the field.
From sunrise to sunset, they work very hard to earn enough money for their
daughters' education.

They also share housework.

While Shanti cooks, Deepak takes care of Tara and Rita.

-Points for Discussion-

Ask the learners:

* What do you see in this illustration?

(sharing of work)

* Is the housework shared in your family?"

 Deepak is also laughed at by other men in the village, because he shares
the housework with his wife.

A man shouts pointing at Deepak,

"Hey, look at Deepak!
He's collecting fire-wood and taking it to his wife!
That's women's work. What a wimp! Ha! Ha! Ha! Poor guy..."

"Oh, but he can't go on like this. He needs to have a son,"

says another man.

"That's right!" the first man says.

"Girls are useless and sometimes a burden.
-Points for Discussion- They are born just to leave their homes.
There is no point in giving education to girls."
Ask learners:

* How would other men in your village react to/think of men
(fathers) doing housework?
* Do you also think that there is no point in giving education to
girls? Why, or why not?
No matter what others say, Shanti and Deepak do not care.
Their minds are firmly set on letting Tara continue school and
getting Rita started at school.
 The day for Rita to start school has come.

The father says,

"Rita, this is such a happy day for us.
Always remember that you are no different from boys.
We both care for you."

The mother says,

"Yes, we love you very much, our dearest Tara and Rita.
Be good at school and learn a lot.
It will open up many opportunities for you."

-Points for Discussion-

Ask learners:

*Should Tara continue schooling? And should Rita be sent

to school as well?

*Do you treat your daughter(s) and son(s) equally?

*What kind of opportunities do you think education can bring

to these girls?
 Five years have passed.
Tara is now in junior high school.
Rita is in grade 5 in primary school.

Every day after school, they help their parents in the vegetable field.
Their skills in literacy and numeracy learned at school are very useful
and helpful to the family.

Tara and Rita help their parents by suggesting ways to get a bigger harvest
by selecting the right kind of seeds to be planted at the right reason.

They also help the parents to make better compost more efficiently.

-Points for Discussion- "Father, I read in a book at the agriculture extension centre that
we can use our kitchen waste to make compost!" says Tara.
Ask learners:

* How can literacy help to improve farm work?

* Is there an agriculture extension centre in your village?

If so, have you visited the centre to learn new agricultural
techniques?

* What are some other ways to reap a better harvest?

* Do you use compost? How do you make the compost for

your field?
 The family's field is full of healthy and delicious vegetables.
Their harvest has doubled since last year.

Now, the family can get more income by selling their vegetables.
So Tara and Rita both are able to continue their schooling.

In the market, they can bargain better with the middle man because,
from reading newspapers, they know the current market rate.

Since Tara and Rita learned how to calculate, no middleman

can cheat these young ladies.

-Points for Discussion-

Ask learners:

* Do you sell your crops to middlemen or sell them by

yourself at the market?

* How do you get information on market rates?

* Have you ever faced problems when negotiating

with middlemen?

* Do you think that numeracy skills (being able to calculate)

are important and useful in your daily life?
 In the community, Tara and Rita help other villagers get information
delivered by various reading materials such as books and wall newspapers.

Rita reads the headline of the wall newspaper out loud

for the villagers who are not able to read.

"Let me see...
Yes, everybody, the date for free immunization for your babies is next
Monday!
Please go to the Health Post at 10 o'clock on Monday morning."

"It also says that when immunizing, you must make sure that your baby does
not have any fever."
-Points for Discussion-

Ask learners:

* Do you like reading news papers?

* What useful information can you get from reading

newspapers?

* Have you had your children immunized? If so, do you

know what diseases can be prevented by immunization?

* Is there a health post in your village? If so, do you go to

the health post when ill?

-Points for Discussion-
Ask learners:
* What is the common age of marriage for girls in your village?
* At what age would you let your daughter (s) be married?
* How can educated daughters help their family and
community?
Tara is now 15 years old and Rita is 12 years old.
One day, the village priest comes to see their parents, Shanti and Deepak.
"I've come to ask your permission for your elder daughter, Tara, to marry Bir
Bihadur's son," says the priest.
"Well... but it's still early for Tara to get married," Deepak replies.
"She's not ready yet. Besides, she often tells me that she wants to bocome
a village teacher after completing high school.
I want to encourage her to do that."
Shanti adds, "We want both of our daughters to finish school and then
get married to men who truly love and respect them.
Even though we have only daughters, I believe that Deepak and I will not
have to worry about our future. We are sure that our daughters will help us,
with their knowledge and kindness, when we get old."
Deepak says, "After completing school, Tara and Rita can not only help us
but also help improve our village life by practising what they have learnt."
The priest could not imagine how the two girls could improve village life.
But he was touched by the passion and faith of Shanti and Deepak
for their daughters.
 Another five years passed.
Supported by the faith and love of their parents,
Tara and Rita studied hard and both completed high school.

Tara became the first female teacher in the village.

In the daytime, she teaches children at a primary school.

At night, she joins a literacy class as an instructor.

Tara asks the learners,

"Everyone, please tell me the benefits you get from literacy."

-Points for Discussion- One lady replies proudly,

"Now, I am not afraid of going to the town by myself.
Ask learners:
I can read all the sign boards in the street."

* Is there any female teacher in your village?

Tara feels very happy to know that the learners are gradually changing
* Have you felt scared of going to town? If so, why? as they gain confidence by being able to read and write.

* Have you felt any changes in yourself by attending literacy

class? If so, how?
 The younger sister, Rita is now a health worker.
She works in a small health post in the village.
It has long been her dream to become a health worker to serve the
community.

"Mother's milk is the most nutritious food for your baby in the first 4 to 6
months,"

explains Rita in front of young mothers in the village.

"Please also keep in mind that spacing children is very important

-Points for Discussion- to keep the health of mother and baby in good condition,"
Rita continues.
Ask learners:

* Why is breast-feeding important for both mothers and

babies?

* Have you been practising birth-spacing in your family?

* What methods do you use for birth-spacing?

* Why is it important to space children?

 A few years later . . . .

Today is the wedding day of the elder daughter, Tara.

The groom is also a teacher in the same primary school Tara teaches.
Their common dream is to give education to all the children in the village.

Singing and dancing, many villagers have gathered to celebrate

the wedding of the happy loving couple.

The village priest also came to attend the wedding.

He is talking with Shanti - the mother of the beautiful bride.
-Points for Discussion-
"Congratulations to you all!
Ask learners:
Your family made me realize that providing education for girls
* To what kind of person would you like your daughter to get is a great investment for the future.
married? Now I know that education for girls helps family life, improves the
community,
* Why is the provision of education for girls a great and most importantly, brings happiness to everybody!
investment for the future? Shanti, you and Deepak have made such a wise decision."

* How did the two daughters help family life and improve the
(END)
community?

* Do you agree with the priest that Shanti and Deepak have
made a wise decision? Why?
Guide for Utilization
Title: A Wise Decision
- Giving Education to Our Daughters for a Brighter Future -
Format: Flip-chart
(13 charts with illustrations in front and texts on back)
Target: Illiterates and neo-literates at beginning level
Objectives:
1. To raise awareness among learners that girls' education
is as valuable and beneficial for the family and community
as that of boys.
2. To stimulate discussion among learners on the advantages
and disadvantages of traditional values in the role of girls
and women in the family and the community, as well as in
the provision of education for girls.
3. To help learners realize that careful decisions independent
of traditional values will open up more opportunities for girls
for education and social participation, which are highly
related to the productivity and prosperity of the family and
the community.
Application:
1. Before showing the flip-chart, start discussion on the
opportunities of education for girls in the village.
2. Show the flip-chart page by page and narrate the text of the
story written on the back of each illustration.
3. After narrating the story, the instructor may go back to each
illustration and lead discussions on the content of the story
by referring to 'Points for Discussion', which are included on
back side of each illustration.
4. Ask why it is important to provide education for children,
especially for girls. Let learners share their own experiences
and opinions on the story of the flip-chart.
5. Lead discussion among learners on what benefits education
may bring to themselves, their family and community.
What are AJP Materials?
AJP Materials are learning materials produced under the Asian/Pacific Joint
Production Programme of Materials for Neo-literates in Rural Areas. The AJP
Materials are produced with aim of sustaining the literacy skills of neo-literates in the
region, and at the same time, providing the learners with useful
knowledge/informaiton and new insights to improve their quality of life.
The AJP Materials are first developed in English as prototypes (master versions)
through the co-operative efforts of experts in the participating countries and the
UNESCO Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (PROAP).
By using locally available resources, you are welcome to adapt any AJP prototype
into your local version(s) by translating the texts and modifying/changing the
illustrations and formats to make the local version(s) more suitable and relevant to
the actual life situation and learning environment of the target audience. The AJP
Materials can be freely adapted and reproduced for non-commercial purposes with
due acknowledgement.
When mass-producing the local version(s) of this particular flip-chart, kindly include
the credit line below in English and send some sample copies to ACCU, with a brief
plan on distribution/utilization of the material.
Adapted from "A Wise Decision: Giving Education to Our Daughters for a
Brighter Future," produced by the Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for
UNESCO (ACCU).
Illustrated by Sharad Ranjit and Sunil Ranjit (Nepal)
 Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) 1997
C
6 Fukuromachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8484 Japan
e-mail: literacy@accu.or.jp URL: http://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase
Planned and produced under the Asian/Pacific Joint Production
Programme of Materials for Neo-Literates in Rural Areas (AJP) in
co-operation with UNESCO Bangkok