The exam’s Comprehension Text
Educating girls offers may benefits to current and future generations. Yet, in many developing countries, girls’ illiteracy still remains a serious issue because it is often considered an obstacle to social and economic development. Over 120 million children of primary school age are not at school. The majority are girls, and Geetha is one of them.
Geetha can barely read and write. The pretty eleven-year-old girl is the youngest child in a poor family living in rural India. She was pulled out of school two years ago. Her father thought her time would be better spent looking after the family’s goats and doing housework.
Geetha’s former teacher tried to convince Geetha’s father and the village elders to send girls like Geetha back to school, but in vain. “This is the way it has always been, and it will not change,” her father argued. “I didn’t study myself. We are simple people.” Government incentives in the form of books, scholarships, uniforms and even meals made no difference. A lifelong struggle to survive marked by poverty and ignorance has solidified their views.
The boys in the village attend school every day. They pass by Geetha who walks the narrow country road alongside her goats. “The boys tease me, “she says, her big eyes full of sadness. She wished she could go with them. “When I was younger, I thought I’d study well and get a job. I really wanted to be a teacher. Now I just follow the goats.”
Geetha has little hope for her own future. Like her mother and her grandmother, she will spend her life working in the fields and around the house. She has seen the value of education, and has a different dream for her own children. “I will let my children study,” she vows. Perhaps it is also not too late even for her. Many girls in India start school at a later age. With support from programmes organized by the Indian government and international institutions, she may yet one day join the boys on their daily walk to school.
National exam | Scientific Streams | Catch-up Session 2009 with Answers
