Noor Rehman was standing at the front of his third grade classroom, clutching his school grades with trembling hands. Number one. Yet again. His teacher beamed with satisfaction. His classmates clapped. For a brief, special moment, the young boy believed his ambitions of being a soldier—of serving his nation, of rendering his parents satisfied—were attainable.
That was 90 days ago.
Today, Noor has left school. He's helping his dad in the furniture workshop, mastering to finish furniture rather than mastering mathematics. His school attire rests in the cupboard, unused but neat. His schoolbooks sit stacked in the corner, their sheets no longer turning.
Noor passed everything. His family did their absolute best. And nevertheless, it proved insufficient.
This is the tale of how being poor doesn't just limit opportunity—it erases it completely, even for the most gifted children who do all that's required and more.
Despite Outstanding Achievement Proves Sufficient
Noor Rehman's dad toils as a carpenter in Laliyani, a modest community in Kasur district, Punjab, Pakistan. He's proficient. He remains hardworking. He exits home ahead of sunrise and gets home after dark, his hands worn from many years of creating wood into items, frames, and decorative pieces.
On successful months, he earns 20,000 rupees—roughly $70 USD. On lean months, less.
From that income, his household of six members must cover:
- Accommodation for their little home
- Provisions for 4
- Utilities (power, water supply, fuel)
- Medical expenses when children get sick
- Travel
- Apparel
- Additional expenses
The calculations of being poor are simple and cruel. Money never stretches. Every unit of currency is allocated ahead of it's earned. Every choice is a selection between needs, Social Impact never between need and extras.
When Noor's tuition came due—in addition to costs for his brothers' and sisters' education—his father confronted an unsolvable equation. The numbers couldn't add up. They not ever do.
Some expense had to be sacrificed. One child had to sacrifice.
Noor, as the senior child, grasped first. He's mature. He is sensible beyond his years. He knew what his parents were unable to say openly: his education was the outlay they could no longer afford.
He didn't cry. He didn't complain. He simply stored his school clothes, arranged his textbooks, and requested his father to instruct him the trade.
As that's what young people in poor circumstances learn from the start—how to surrender their hopes without complaint, without overwhelming parents who are presently bearing more than they can handle.