Noor Rehman was standing at the entrance to his third grade classroom, gripping his school grades with nervous hands. Highest rank. Again. His educator smiled with pride. His classmates cheered. For a momentary, special moment, the 9-year-old boy felt his aspirations of becoming a soldier—of protecting his country, of rendering his parents happy—were possible.
That was 90 days ago.
Currently, Noor isn't in school. He aids his father in the carpentry workshop, practicing to polish furniture in place of learning mathematics. His uniform remains in the closet, unused but neat. His learning materials sit placed in the corner, their pages no longer flipping.
Noor never failed. His parents did their absolute best. And still, it couldn't sustain him.
This is the tale of how being poor doesn't just limit opportunity—it erases it entirely, even for the brightest children who do their very best and more.
While Superior Performance Isn't Sufficient
Noor Rehman's father works as a furniture maker in the Laliyani area, a modest village in Kasur district, Punjab, Pakistan. He is talented. He is diligent. He leaves home ahead of sunrise get more info and arrives home after nightfall, his hands worn from many years of creating wood into items, frames, and decorative pieces.
On successful months, he makes 20,000 rupees—about $70 USD. On difficult months, much less.
From that wages, his household of six must manage:
- Accommodation for their small home
- Meals for four children
- Utilities (electric, water supply, cooking gas)
- Healthcare costs when children get sick
- Commute costs
- Garments
- Additional expenses
The arithmetic of economic struggle are basic and harsh. There's always a shortage. Every coin is committed ahead of it's earned. Every choice is a choice between requirements, not ever between necessity and convenience.
When Noor's school fees came due—together with costs for his siblings' education—his father dealt with an unworkable equation. The calculations didn't balance. They don't do.
Something had to be cut. Someone had to surrender.
Noor, as the senior child, realized first. He is responsible. He remains mature exceeding his years. He realized what his parents wouldn't say out loud: his education was the expenditure they could no longer afford.
He didn't cry. He didn't complain. He just stored his uniform, set aside his learning materials, and requested his father to train him carpentry.
As that's what children in poor circumstances learn first—how to abandon their hopes silently, without troubling parents who are presently carrying greater weight than they can sustain.