Profile of a child of slum

Daud committed to changing his society

Sohail Rashid

ISLAMABAD, 24 August 2010: Living in abject poverty, children living in slums can only dream about getting education. While the blame for this lies squarely on the authorities concerned, there are some genius children within this neglected segment who are ready to change the fate of their people by getting education at any cost.

Clad in a crisp school uniform with a green hat on his head, Daud Ahmad Khan has to several walk miles every day to reach school. If he is lucky, he may avail the offer of a lift from a cart-pusher. His mannerism and personality is as good as that of a literate child raised in a well-to-do family. He has a cute way of talking, so much so that no one can tell that he comes for a slum area.

The 8-year-old is a student of class three in a model school. He lives in a slum in sector I-11, where there are no facilities for education because of government apathy.

“I want to be a doctor because the people of my slum remain in grip of diseases and they have no medical facility in the area. I want to comfort them,” said Daud Khan when talking to this news agency. He shared that his father is a labourer working on daily wages in the wholesale fruit market. His younger brother, Mujahid, is also studying in class 1 while an elder brother has had to discontinue his education due to poverty and is now working with his father.

Talking about his daily routine, Daud said, he has to leave for school daily at 7 a.m. and returns at 1 p.m. He passes the rest of the day doing his homework in helping out his mother in her routine work. He regularly offers his prayers. “I spend my evenings teaching my younger sister as we cannot afford to send her to school,” he added.

Ironically, Daud was initially studying in a government school near his own locality. The school was being run by just one teacher who would order him to clean his motorbike, and do his personal chores. He hardly took interest in teaching Daud.

“Though the monthly fee of that school was only Rs. 25 per month, I left it because I did not want to waste my time. Now, I paying Rs. 250 per moth as tuition fee in a private school,” said Daud.

Children like Daud Ahmad, who are struggling to get their very basic right of education, can really do miracles in changing the history of nations but unfortunately such diamonds are clueless in the darkness of poverty.