Malala Yousafzai Goes Back to School

Pakistani educational activist, feminist and Taliban victim, 15-year old Malala Yousafzai has attended her first day of class in the Edgbaston High School, Birmingham. She is in the United Kingdom after she was flown in for emergency surgery, after she was shot twice in the head by members of the Taliban. After recuperating from the injuries and surgery to place a titanium plate where the bullet left a hole in her skull, as well as ear implants to allow her to hear, she is excited to be in school and doing exactly what she was campaigning for.

Early beginnings

Malala Yousafzai wrote a blog in 2009 expressing her wish to go to school but was afraid to do so. She was living in the Swat Valley in Pakistan where the Taliban had a big presence. At the time, the Taliban issued an edict which banned all girls from going to school. At about the same time, the Taliban had also started targeting schools to enforce the edict.

In her blog, Yousafzai mentioned that she was proud of her father, for operating a school in the area, and defying the edict against teaching girls. The BBC picked up on her blog which published her piece with her plea to have an education. The popularity arising from the piece led to interviews with other international news organizations.

After three years of her popularity, the Taliban struck back. On October 9, 2012, she was shot twice while riding a bus on her way home. Two masked men who were believed to be with the Taliban stopped the bus, and after having her identified, shot her twice, once in the head and another in the neck. The gunmen also shot and wounded another girl. After several operations, she is now able to walk and her hearing has been restored. Her family has also been flown to the UK to be with her. Her conviction has not wavered.

 

Fight for the rights of girls to an education

According to a press release, she wants “all girls in the world to have this basic opportunity” to study and learn in a classroom. She continues to fight for the rights of girls to an education. Pakistan’s literacy rate is less than 60%, with less than half of the female population able to read and write. In the wake of her attack, Pakistan has said that they will be more vigorous in fighting the Taliban’s edict against female education.

Malala Yousafzai was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the youngest ever nomineee for the prestigious award.