Case Study — Breaking Barriers: Women Empowerment in a Conservative Society

Muhammad Ali Mugheri (Mr. Mugheri), a Pakistani high school teacher, had to overcome crucial obstacles to change the mindset of the school management, the government, and the society — a male-dominated environment conserved in laws and culture for girls’ education. For the first time in history, such a change agent highlighted how the male gender faced issues on the way of bringing a positive change in the conservative society of Sindh, Pakistan. His educational background and work experience led him to rapid progression from the role of a girls’ high school teacher to a headmaster in the primary girls’ school to a boys’ high school teacher. After more than 14 years of working as a teacher and a headmaster, he struggled for female education in the conservative society and negligent government. As he reflected on the hard journey he had been through, although he was sincere and dedicated, he wondered what was next? In 2022, Mr. Mugheri faced yet a tough decision to change the workplace under pressure from authorities; if so how would he continue working for the cause of women’s education?In September 2022, Mr. Mugheri was confronted with another setback challenging a serious threat to his mission of fighting for girls’ right to education. As a school headmaster, he aimed for many positive changes to bring but he felt cornered. He contemplated on the challenging times he had seen to reach this point of time. Mr. Mugheri was passionate about the success of girls’ education in a conservative society. For a man, staying for long in the girls’ school, be it government girls higher secondary school or primary girls school, was a distant reality. Considering the challenges, he wondered if he could continue as a head of school, or was it time for him to change?Mr. Mugheri was the headmaster in the girls’ primary school, Lalu Raunk, Sindh, Pakistan. All his staff were female teachers. This was not acceptable to many in the conservative societies. The community heads and parents raised their concerns for his appointment in a girls’ school. Nonetheless, due to his earlier contributions to the schools, he could continue following his passion. He was greatly respected for his charismatic leadership style and his outstanding work on female education. He attributed his superior performance in the education sector to his drive, unwavering motivation to work, passion for female education, and tough decisions he had made in his career. “Give me an educated mother and I will give you an educated nation†the quote he stated repeatedly.