1. How is education a ticket to a better life? Beth, Callie, Sophie and Gen

2. How do you set the compass for your education?

3. Pakistan is less than 12 hours away from Australia. And yet so far away in terms of development… and education

4. Pakistan is one of the 43 countries that is living under the dark cloud of poverty.

5. 37.4% of children below the age of 5 are malnourished in Pakistan. In other words, underweight

6. More than 40% of the Pakistan urban population live in run-down areas Can you imagine sleeping here?

7. Now add education to the picture

8. Little over half the men and less than a third of women above the age of 15 can read and write

9. Imagine a boy. He might look a little like this… Imagine this boy starting school, at a private school in Pakistan In this boy’s class, there were children from 5-10 years old The boy’s classmates only did basic math sums on the blackboard Some of the boy’s peers did them with ease, whilst others struggled with the basic subtraction If this boy, or one of his friends didn’t understand, they wouldn’t receive help even if they asked So, they would go home having learnt nothing, because there weren’t enough teachers Now imagine this boy imagining you.

10. How do the religions and beliefs of your country and family affect the form of education you receive?

11. The majority of people in Pakistan are Muslim.

12. Muslims have to pray at a certain time everyday, disrupting their activities and learning.

13. Learning is precious

14. In Australia, our religions don’t often disrupt our learning.

15. We carry out 5 days a week of schooling That’s 30 hours every 7 days

16. More than any child in Pakistan

17. Yet we complain.

18. How does your gender affect your education?

19. Percentages of school attendance in Pakistan (1996-2006)

20. The ratio of girl to boy attendance in secondary school in Pakistan is 28 : 37

21. The ratio of girl to boy secondary school attendance in Australia is 89 : 87

22. More than two thirds of Pakistani women are illiterate

23. Over 90,000 girls don’t go to school

24. Girls in Pakistan are taught to support the family in the home, not financially

25. Whereas, in Australia, close to every girl will attend primary and secondary schooling

26. We are treated as equals and are able to do most things boys can do

27. We are regarded as children, one and all. Not separated in society because of our gender

29. For many in Pakistan, education is like a distant dream doubtful to come true.

30. Without an education adults struggle to get a job that pays well

31. Children long to go to school

32. In Australia, we are lucky

33. With parents that earn enough money to send us to school, feed us, and even afford luxuries.

34. And we complain and pretend to be sick so we can miss out on school.

35. Is education something you lack because of your luck?