As Malala Yousafzai gears up to join Oxford, girl education in Pakistan remains in a sorry state

On this day, five years ago, a 15-year-old girl was shot by Taliban gunmen in Pakistan in response to her advocacy of education for girls. Today, that girl, Malala Yousafzai, is all set to attend her first lecture at Oxford.

Taking to Twitter, Malala wrote, “5 years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls’ education. Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford.”

5 years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls’ education. Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford. pic.twitter.com/sXGnpU1KWQ

— Malala (@Malala) October 9, 2017

The year Malala was shot, a UNESCO report said that Pakistan’s attempts at getting destitute girls to school is less than half of India. “Although Pakistan has the second-largest number of out-of-school girls in the world, it has reduced the amount it spends on education to less than 2.3% of GNP. Only 9 low-income and lower-middle-income countries spend a smaller share on education. The barriers to education faced by Pakistani girls like Malala are stark in comparison with the rest of south Asia,” the report added.

According to a PEW Research report, …read more