Dressed in a white salwar kameez, an old woman with a slightly hunched posture and a slow gait walks down the street that leads to the government middle school in Nuh’s Roz-ka-Meo village. Holding the hands of her two granddaughters, 55-year-old Asiya stops when the school appears in sight. The girls — six-year-old Tarannum and seven-year-old Safiya — study in class 1 and 3 respectively. Asiya’s biggest dream is to give her granddaughters an education that she was deprived of.

“I want my girls to study and do well for themselves when they grow up. Education will empower them and allow them to carve out their own paths,” said Asiya.

She, however, worries they will not be able to complete their education after all. “The only school in the village provides education only up to class 8. Teachers are not present on all days, but at least the girls get to study something. But what will they do after class 8? The higher secondary school is in the other village, some three to four kilometres away and it will be risky for me to send them outside the village,” adds Asiya, who goes by her first name.

She hopes that the new government would set up more schools for girls, but has little to say when asked about her possible choice for the upcoming polls. “I am yet to decide but I’ll support the party which promises to create schools and ensure that dowry is completely abolished. I had to sell my land to arrange for my daughters’ wedding. Dowry is a burden on us but no one does anything to put an end to the practice,” said Asiya.

Like Asiya, many women across the district are slowly but steadily realising the importance of education as a tool of empowerment. In Punhana’s Shikrawa village, 15-year-old Afroz talks about the importance of making education a poll plank. The class 10 student of Mewat Model School, Punhana, lives away from her family in a hostel so as to secure an education that schools in her village do not offer. “Girls should be educated. Political parties should go door-to-door and make parents aware of their plans regarding education. My parents will only vote for those parties that make education a priority,” adds Afroz. Her mother Roshni nods in agreement, as she patiently listens to her daughter.

Roshni said, “I want my daughter to study and get a job. She should be become independent and give back to the community.”

She was critical of the government for not doing enough to empower women. “The BJP government talks about Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao but offers no facilities for girls who want to study. There are not sufficient higher secondary schools in villages across the district. How can we send our girls far when there is no guarantee of their safety? We need more schools, and better schools,” said Roshni.

While Roshni confidently talks about her daughter’s right to education, she doesn’t have much of a voice when it comes to casting her own vote. “I don’t know who to vote for. The men in the family will discuss and decide. Based on the consensus, the whole family will vote for the party or candidate,” she said.

Many women across the district are not active participants in the decision-making process. The women are expected to abide by what the men in the family decide.

“Don’t ask me about the political parties. These things are beyond me. I will vote for the party that gains the favour of my family,” said Attaiya, 64, a resident of Shikrawa village.

Even while sharing her stand on voting, she is cut off midsentence by her nephew. “Women in our family are not aware of politics. They don’t take much interest. We will tell them the party symbol on the day of voting and they’ll cast their votes,” explained Shafaat Khan, Attaiya’s nephew.

While Attaiya doesn’t have much of a say when it comes to deciding her vote, she is vocal about the issues that concern her. “I filled up so many forms to get a toilet constructed in my house but no action has been taken. Around 70% of the houses in the village do not have a pucca toilet. We are compelled to share toilets with others or walk long distances to the fields. Even for filling up drinking water, one has to walk for half an hour. A party that cannot make toilets for women should not be given a chance,” she said.

First Published: Apr 08, 2019 05:24 IST