Noor Rehman stood at the beginning of his third-grade classroom, clutching his grade report with shaking hands. Top position. Pakistan Another time. His instructor beamed with happiness. His fellow students applauded. For a momentary, precious moment, the nine-year-old boy thought his dreams of becoming a soldier—of protecting his country, of causing his parents pleased—were within reach.
That was several months back.
Currently, Noor isn't in school. He works with his father in the wood shop, learning to sand furniture in place of learning mathematics. His school attire remains in the cupboard, clean but unworn. His books sit placed in the corner, their leaves no longer turning.
Noor never failed. His household did their absolute best. And yet, it wasn't enough.
This is the tale of how financial hardship doesn't just limit opportunity—it eliminates it completely, even for the smartest children who do what's expected and more.
Even when Excellence Proves Sufficient
Noor Rehman's parent is employed as a carpenter in Laliyani village, a little settlement in Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan. He remains experienced. He's diligent. He leaves home prior to sunrise and arrives home after dark, his hands worn from many years of creating wood into furniture, entries, and decorations.
On successful months, he brings in 20,000 Pakistani rupees—approximately 70 dollars. On lean months, much less.
From that earnings, his household of 6 must pay for:
- Monthly rent for their little home
- Food for four
- Bills (electric, water supply, cooking gas)
- Medical expenses when children fall ill
- Transportation
- Clothing
- Other necessities
The mathematics of financial hardship are basic and unforgiving. Money never stretches. Every unit of currency is earmarked ahead of it's earned. Every selection is a selection between essentials, not ever between essential items and luxury.
When Noor's tuition came due—together with costs for his brothers' and sisters' education—his father dealt with an unsolvable equation. The math didn't balance. They never do.
Some expense had to be eliminated. Some family member had to forgo.
Noor, as the first-born, realized first. He remains dutiful. He remains mature past his years. He realized what his parents couldn't say explicitly: his education was the expenditure they could no longer afford.
He didn't cry. He did not complain. He simply arranged his school clothes, put down his books, and requested his father to instruct him carpentry.
As that's what kids in poor circumstances learn earliest—how to abandon their dreams quietly, without troubling parents who are currently bearing more than they can manage.