Omar Rising

In Omar Rising, Saeed emphasizes the importance of education within Pakistani society. This dynamic becomes apparent as Omar undergoes immense struggles and sacrifices to stay at Ghalib, for just like his family and community, he believes that an education will be his passport to a better future: one that is personally fulfilling and financially successful. Education provides opportunities that lift people out of poverty, and an educated population helps a country progress and become more productive. In present-day Pakistan, however, getting an education can be an uphill battle, and the novel explores this issue in great detail, for rural areas like Omar’s village experience even greater poverty levels than the general population. Without an education, the Central Asia Institute agrees, “almost half of the future adult population is at a severe disadvantage for improving their circumstances, pursuing a career, or increasing their income” (“Why Education in Pakistan Matters Now More Than Ever.” Central Asia Institute, 17 July 2018).

Consequently, Omar understands that “Ghalib is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rewrite [his] destiny” (3). Similarly, his friend Amal shows her own desire for higher education in her efforts to attend Iqra. No matter what social class a person belongs to, the novel emphasizes that obtaining an education opens the door to many new opportunities. During his pursuit of a better life, Omar is not alone in facing an array of social injustices at Ghalib, for the educational system there is troubled at best, and this issue accurately reflects the problems facing the educational system in Pakistan today. Research shows that Pakistan spends only 2.8%—a very small amount—of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on education: significantly less than the 4% target (“Pakistan: Education.” Unicef). This lack of funding means that there are fewer schools for students, especially in rural areas. Similarly, the Scholaro Database reports that the educational system in Pakistan “has been described as one of the most underdeveloped in the world. Barely 60% of children complete grades 1 to 5 at primary school” (“Education System in Pakistan.” Scholaro Database). Pakistan’s Education Secretary, Waseem Amjal Chaudhry, reveals that in the 2022-2023 year, the literacy rate in Pakistan was 59.3%, meaning that nearly 40% of the country is illiterate (Abbasi, Kashif. “Pakistan’s Literacy Rate on a Downward Spiral.” Dawn, 9 Sept. 2023).

Within this challenging social framework, Pakistani girls have an even lower rate of school attendance than boys due to accessibility issues and to lingering conservative cultural norms which hold that girls, who traditionally will marry and take care of their family, do not need an education. To the detriment of its children, the educational system in Pakistan is rife with inequities based on socioeconomic status, geography, and gender.

Many contemporary commentators observe that the quality of education in Pakistan is poor and unequal. Although education is a human right, one author states that “Education is a privilege in Pakistan; the level of parental or family income determines access to quality education” (Imran, Umema. “Education in Pakistan—Where are We?” The Nation, 22 July 2023). Additionally, private schools like Omar’s Ghalib Academy merely serve to reinforce existing social inequality, for the curricula of such institutions is necessarily much higher than that of its public counterparts (Imran, Umema. “Education in Pakistan.”) This issue is also reflected within the plot of the novel, for Omar suffers from a range of social injustices in private school, where his poverty sets him apart from his more affluent fellow students. As a scholarship student, Omar learns that wealth grants privilege at Ghalib, while the lack of wealth results in what amounts to ongoing punishment. However, he endures these indignities because the school in his village and the literacy center that his friend Amal frequents are substandard compared to the level of Ghalib’s technology and amenities. Through his determination to succeed, Omar ultimately achieves his dream of getting a higher education, putting him on the path to a successful future. His efforts to improve his life through education reflect the desires—and the obstacles—shared by many children in Pakistan.