Where Mountains Cannot Stand Before Willpower: A Story From Sherqilla

Malala Yousufzai is famously quoted as saying: “One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.” Although inspirational on a universal level, these words hold particular significance and resonance in matters pertaining to the pursuit of education by young Pakistani women – particularly those that live in areas where this pursuit can pose significant challenges. These challenges, whether due to remoteness, militancy or a lack of regional development, often mandate that the very act of attending school is one that requires a certain level of dedication, willpower and bravery on the part of its students. Such circumstances can also inspire students to demonstrate the lengths to which their determination will take them, when confronted with obstacles: Sherqilla, a village located in the Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, was the location of one such demonstration. Situated in the westernmost part of Gilgit-Baltistan, Sherqilla is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Gilgit, being the nearest city, is a two-hour drive away by road, and the landscape in between is largely undeveloped and remote. While there are multiple schools located in nearby villages, the local Aga Khan Higher Secondary School admits students from the Kindergarten level. In 2015, it was upgraded to the status of a higher secondary school and adopted the Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) system. The school began its pilot Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) programmes the same year. Its location necessitates that students from outside of Sherqilla, who comprise a majority of attendees, reside in hostels during most of the school year. In April 2016, torrential rainfall and floods caused considerable damage to the roads between Sherqilla and Gilgit, to the point where most forms of vehicular transportation were suspended pending repairs due to mudslides. This event could not have occured at a worse time: Multiple students, having been on study leave in the period leading up to examinations, had returned to their homes in surrounding villages or cities just prior to the disaster and were unable to return. While AKU-EB made arrangements for most students to be able to take their examinations in other locations (or postpone taking their exams till September), there was not enough time to reach out to all affected students. It was then that four determined young women undertook a challenge that is difficult for many to consider: Rather than wait until the roads had been repaired and were fit for vehicular use, they walked from the city of Gilgit all the way to Sherqilla on foot the day of their Chemistry practical examination. Mubeena Ibrahim, Nighat Shah, Sabah Fatima, and Mehnaz Akram were Grade 9 students, due to give their first year SSC examinations. All of 15 years old each, these keen and dedicated students refused to allow such unanticipated circumstances to deter them.