Mubshira Khan, A Social Worker from Saharanpur, Rewriting the Story of Girls' Education
By Afroz Khan, New Age Islam
7 April 2026
Mubshira Khan, a social worker from Saharanpur, is empowering rural girls through education and awareness. Through her “Nayi Roshni” programme, she helps school dropouts rejoin education, promotes leadership, legal awareness, and mental health, and works to challenge social barriers and patriarchal norms in communities.
Main Points:
· Mubshira Khan works for girls’ education in rural Saharanpur.
· “Nayi Roshni” helps dropout girls rejoin school.
· Promotes leadership, confidence, and decision-making skills.
· Spreads awareness about legal rights and the Constitution.
· Focuses on mental health and breaking social barriers.
“Education is as essential for a woman as it is for a man. Education is not just literacy, but the strength to recognize one’s rights.”
Mubshira Khan (Social Activists)
In rural areas, it is often seen that as soon as a girl grows a little older, she is burdened with the responsibilities of the household and taking care of her younger siblings. This happens because both parents have to go out for labour work or agricultural activities. Therefore, it becomes the “duty” of the daughter to leave her school and focus more on household duties.
As a result, the percentage of girls dropping out of school has always been higher. However, from the government to several social organisations, many are working continuously to bridge this gap.
In Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh as well, Mubshira Khan is actively working towards re-enrolling girls in schools and ensuring their education.
Mubshira Khan belongs to a small village named Harpali in Saharanpur district. She comes from a middle-class Muslim family. To complete her own education, she had to face resistance from her family and patriarchal mindset. Despite struggles and opposition, she completed her education and is now working to open the doors of education again for other girls in her district.
Mubshira says,
“Change does not come overnight; it is the result of small efforts and continuous struggle. When one girl steps into school, she opens the path for an entire generation.”
Mubshira Khan has been working at the grassroots level since 2014–15. In our country, many women remain unaware of their rights, and even if they know, they hesitate to speak up for them. Mubshira began her work under the ‘Ekjut Fellowship’, focusing on citizenship rights.
During this time, she taught rural women how to approach government authorities for their basic needs and how to raise their voice for their rights. Along with this, Mubshira Khan also worked with a global organisation called ‘Gender at Work’, where she engaged in extensive research and grassroots work on issues like violence against women and gender equality at workplaces.
One of Mubshira Khan’s most ambitious and impactful initiatives is the programme called “Nayi Roshni”. Under this initiative, she mainly works with Muslim and Dalit girls who had to drop out of school due to poverty, domestic responsibilities, or social pressure. This programme acts as a ‘bridge’ for them. Here, they are provided with basic education and prepared to re-enter mainstream schools.
For this, Mubshira has set up small centres within Muslim localities and villages in Saharanpur. These centres are located close to their homes, which makes conservative families feel safe about sending their daughters there. Through these centres, girls begin their journey towards completing their unfinished education.
Through “Nayi Roshni”, Mubshira Khan does not limit herself only to academic learning. She also teaches these girls how to express themselves confidently (public speaking), helps them develop decision-making skills, and makes them aware of their constitutional rights and laws.
Mubshira says,
“Society often decides the limits for girls, but our real strength lies in crossing those limits and creating our own identity.”
She also conducts counselling in areas where girls’ education is not given importance. Mubshira goes door-to-door and explains to families that,
“A daughter’s education is not only her future, but the honour of the entire family.”
Mubshira teaches girls about the Indian Constitution, Fundamental Rights, and laws related to women (such as domestic violence and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act), so that they can clearly understand their rights. So far, she has trained more than 300 adolescent girls in legal awareness.
Mubshira believes that change should come not from “outside” but from “within”. Therefore, she trains talented girls from the villages themselves and develops them into leaders, who continue to carry forward the torch of change even after she leaves.
In rural areas, mental health issues are often misunderstood as “supernatural influences” or “black magic”. Through her programmes, Mubshira works to eliminate such superstitions and encourages scientific thinking and seeking professional help.
She believes that,
“Living with dignity and being mentally healthy is a basic right of every woman. We must break our silence so that society acknowledges our health and existence.”
Mubshira regularly conducts sessions with more than 300 women and adolescent girls. In these sessions, topics like depression, anxiety, and self-esteem are openly discussed.
Through the ‘Feminist Manch’, she has established safe spaces where girls can speak freely without hesitation. Here, they openly discuss issues like domestic pressure, career concerns, and stress caused by social restrictions.
Women’s mental health is often the most neglected aspect, but Mubshira is courageously raising this taboo issue even in rural areas.
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Afroz Khan is a teacher by profession who writes on women, politics, communal harmony, and Islam. She holds a master’s degree in Education.
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