Bayazid Akter/Demotix
Women and girls celebrating after the announcement that girls outperformed boys on top school exams in Bangladesh.
The happiest thing I read all day came to me via GlobalVoices — a story about exam results in Bangladesh.
Girls outperformed boys this year. The pass rate of female students: 79.19 percent, just over the 78.23 percent rate for boys.
Hasan Ferdous, who was once a journalist in Bangladesh and now works for the United Nations, pointed out that it's more than just the numbers that make this so extraordinary.
"It is known to us what difficulties a girl has to face in Bangladesh. A girl child is stil unwanted to some families. If there is a boy in the family all attention and privileges are provided to him. They get the best meal and the girls are given the leftover. If the family cannot afford to send children to the school, the girls are the first ones to sacrifice. .. still there are the pressure of the society, religion, eve teasers [sexual harassers]. And the parents conveniently decide that it is too risky to send the girls to school. After overcoming all these obstacles when they top the boys in education, then we have to say “three cheers”.
Read it. You'll think the same thing. Three cheers times infinity.
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Now if they could just learn to do sports. Seems like Bangledesh, the 9th largest by population nation sending athletes to the Olympics (4 this year, including an archer and a shooter) has never won a medal, not even a bronze, in their Olypci participation history. Now maybe if they made cricket an Olympic sport?
Sports are the LAST thing needed in education, Mr Longey. Haven't you paid any attention to what has been going on at Penn State?
We should all be thankful that these girls could overcome the obstacles their society allows to occur, and then excelling at the education that is available. Please don't screw it up for them by muddying the water further, and expecting sports to somehow become 'education'. Other countries have the right idea: school is for learning, and sports are for recreational time (if there is any), a concept that seems tragically absent in the States.
Yeah...my 9 yr old grandaughter is on her way this AM to Houston in the company of her pround parents and siblings to compete in the American Athletic Union's Nationals this week, in trampoline, mini-trampoline, and floor tumbling, after taking the Gold, Silver, and Bronze in those events in the Regional in Oklahoma last month. Tell her that sports is a waste of time, as she works diligently for the opportunity to learn more about her gymnastics skills in high school in 2016-2020 and maybe a shot at a scholarship to college and even the dream of competing in the 2020 or 2024 Olympics.
LO', Great "feel good" story. Good mention. Need more. Nice to hear good news, for a change. 79.19 percent. Next challenge to work on... the 79.19 ..per...cents....that women earn....compared to men.
P/S. As promised, was in 07.25, called, but. Will communicate again upcoming Monday-ish...to stop by later in week, if available. Romney/Olympic/cliff/and more stuff.