Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education for the Girls of Balochistan

Abstract

This study examined the challenges and opportunities of higher education for the females of Balochistan studying in South Punjab with a focus on economic, social, and cultural factors. It was a descriptive and exploratory study and therefore, qualitative research methodology was used for data collection. The population of the study consisted of all the female students of Balochistan studying in universities of the South Punjab. A purposeful sample strategy was used; and thirty (30) students agreed to participate in the study. The participants were briefed for qualitative interviews. This study used a semi-structured interview protocol for data collection. The interview protocol was prepared according to the objectives of the study. After finalizing the interview protocol, the researchers individually contacted the students and conducted their interviews. A total thirty (30) participants were interviewed. Besides, the researchers also elaborated their personal experiences and observations which have been described in the relevant section(s). Thematic analysis was used to uncover common themes in the interview data. The study demonstrated that the Balochistani girls face significant challenges in pursuing their higher education at South Punjab universities. The social and language difficulties not only hinder their mixing with local students; but also create challenges for them to be confident and participate in curricular as well as co-curricular activities. Despite of these challenges, there are considerable opportunities and benefits like access to higher education, learning life skills, earning degree(s) and exposure to varied cultural backgrounds are considerable. However, these prospects may only be fully realized if suitable support structures are in place to assist the students to overcome the socio-cultural and economic barriers.