Let’s talk about Inequality – Open letter to young people (and their parents) in the Maldives

My grandmother’s education ended before she could complete elementary school when she became a maid in a rich family’s home. My mother completed her high school education by going to night classes every day after finishing her day-time job keeping records in an office. I studied at university and graduate schools and now represent the UN Development Programme in Maldives. Meanwhile, my daughter has just entered university and I can’t even begin to imagine what opportunities the future holds for her.

I’m not trying to boast of my education or professional achievement, but simply seek to illustrate how much your life’s path depends on when and where you are born. When my grandmother was a child in Japan, universal education and health services were not available. My mother grew up during a time of national reconstruction after a catastrophic war, when struggling families concentrated their limited resources on sons rather than daughters—two of her brothers went to university, one gaining a PhD! It could have been my mother – a young aspirational girl! On the other hand, I was born during a period of peace and prosperity, and was able to progress all the way from primary to graduate school entirely within the public education system and luckily with a generous scholarship to study abroad.