ESW Open Seminar Series
Centre for International Education (CIE)
Monday 15th February, 4.30pm
Room 118, Jubilee
Speaker
Professor Masooda Bano, Oxford Department of International
Development (ODID), University of Oxford, presents:
Education and Aspirations: Evidence from
Islamic and state schools in Pakistan and Nigeria
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Drawing on survey and ethnographic data from Islamic and state
schools in Pakistan and Nigeria, Professor Bano questions
assumed effect of attendance in Islamic schools on students’
levels of religiosity and aspirations. On both these counts,
students from both the groups show broadly similar results.
Modern schoolgirls in Pakistan do record a higher willingness to
pursue a professional career. However, urban background,
increased exposure to television, and more educated mothers
appear more likely explanations for this difference than school
effect. The Nigerian data supports this analysis.
The findings suggest that increasing employment opportunities,
access to media, and supporting female role models can make
more Muslim females aspire for formal employment than
interventions targeted at reforming Islamic norms.
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