Malala inspires Pak to start girls’ schools

There is good news from Pakistan, something very rare. If 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was brutally shot at by Taliban for campaigning for education for girls in the Swat Valley, Taliban’s fortress, it yielded fruits in neighbouring Pakistan. According to a report appeared in Express Tribune last week, Pakistan is mulling to establish “Malala Schools” for poor children in sixteen areas in the country.

Well, that is something Muslim girls in Pakistan can cheer about. Nafisa Shah, chairwoman of the National Commission for Human Development, was quoted as saying that the schools would be located in areas affected by conflict or natural disasters. “The goal is for the schools to provide some education for both girls and boys in areas where such opportunities are severely limited. Each school will have two classrooms with a veranda, a toilet and space to expand its buildings,” she was quoted.

Each school will cost 800,000 Pakistan rupees (about $8,336). The Pakistani government has identified where the schools will be located and has started the process of locating funds.

That means Taliban’s idea of shooting teenage education campaigner to scare girls away from going to school proved the other way round. People from across the globe are inspired by the brave girl.

Meanwhile, good news for Malala who survived the shooting and now recovering in a UK hospital! According to Guardian, Canada’s four largest political parties and people around the globe are also calling for Malala to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. If she, by any chance gets it, she would be the youngest one to receive the world’s most prestigious award.