Pakistan: Girl expelled from school for getting married

The headmistress of a school in Chakwal has expelled a female student after she got married, stating that a married student could have a negative impact on her classmates, Dawn has learnt. Madiha Fatima was studying at Government Girls High School Chakwal in Class 10. Last month, she got married with her relative. “When I submitted an application for marriage leave, it was not accepted by my teacher who is in charge of our section,” Madiha told Dawn. She therefore had to remain absent from school. “When I returned to school after my marriage, I was not allowed to sit in the class,” she said. Madiha and her mother then met the headmistress and asked her to review the decision, but she refused. “I requested the teacher to give me the refusal in writing but she did not oblige,” Madiha said. She said she wanted to pursue higher education, but her “dream of higher education was shattered by the teacher.” “Is marriage a crime,” Natiq Jaffri, Madiha’s husband said. “I want my wife to acquire education but her basic right has been denied,” he added. When contacted, the headmistress, Shahnaz Begum, said: “A married girl can adversely affect the atmosphere of the school by sharing details of her marital life with her schoolmates.” When asked under what law she had taken the decision, she replied: “The law does not matter here; it is the behaviour which matters.” When the attention of Executive District Officer Education Ghulam Murtaza was drawn to the issue, he said he would look into the matter. “A student cannot be expelled from school for getting married,” he said. —Nabeel Anwar Dhakku