Recognising Malala

Malala Yousufzai has been declared ‘the most famous teenager of the decade’ by the UN in its Decade in Review released on Dec 26. While this is a moment for rejoicing and pride for the Pakistani education activist and youngest ever Nobel laureate, for the Pakistani nation it should be a moment of reflection about how we have responded to the multiple accolades Malala has garnered. Rather than feeling pride in her, many raised suspicions about the very attack she was target of. Then, even after achievements that should have made all of us jubilant, many remained either reticent about them or even tried to project the Nobel Prize as an international conspiracy to malign Pakistan. Malala could inspire a whole new generation of teenagers in the country, only if the schools across the country could place her photo at a prominent place.

The UN review has highlighted Malala’s work for girls’ education for the year 2012 – the year when Malala was shot by the Taliban as she was returning home from her school in Swat. The attack made Malala a symbol of resistance in Pakistan, and then in all other countries where children, girls in particular, face tremendous hardships to acquire even basic education. During the decade that is coming to an end soon, Malala has pushed for action to ensure every girl’s right to go to school. Her efforts have drawn attention of the world to hundreds of millions of children who do not have access to education; and the world has responded positively to her calls.

Governments across the world as well as international bodies have all praised Malala for her resilience to fight back. In Malala, we have a girl who shows activism, a rare quality in most of the youth who have been conditioned to respond to financial stimuli alone. It is a good sign that at the end of the decade we did see some movement in the students of this country who are finally waking up to demand their rights. Malala is just 22 now and has an entire life ahead of her. As a rock of strength and as a beacon of change she is likely to play a vital role in the years to come. The PTI government that has come to power mostly thanks to a youth bulge in the country, should do better by acknowledging Malala’s achievements at the national and official levels. And while the work to revise the curriculum is underway, our school textbooks must have chapters on the life and struggle of Malala.