LONDON: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousufzai has expressed great optimism about Pakistan’s bright future as the country’s educated youth are passionate about developing their country through modern knowledge.
The Nobel Peace Prize was addressed to PK Press Club News in central London after a roundtable discussion with a group of influential Pakistanis to discuss the way forward to improve education standards in Pakistan. Malala assured that she would continue to do her best to empower her home country through education, with a focus on girls’ education.
Malala Yousufzai participated in the lively quiz on Pakistani culture, mingling with participants and sharing stories. She said PK Press Club News: “We all love Pakistan. We all want the progress and stability of Pakistan, based on education and latest technological knowledge to move Pakistan forward. The role of women in this journey is of utmost importance. It is always heartening to see so many young Pakistanis educated and determined for the progress of Pakistan. A country with such a passionate and dedicated segment always thrives.”
Hamza Chishti, Director of Cloud and AI Innovation at Microsoft New York, hosted a creator and influencer brunch in collaboration with the Malala Fund.
He said, “The idea was to bring together all the great minds of the country to talk about innovation, education and building a better Pakistan together. As leaders of today and tomorrow, we want to empower every Pakistani with access to education and hope to shape the narrative of Pakistan as great as that of the people of Pakistan.”
Before the lunch meeting with the Pakistanis, Malala Yousufzai opened the British government’s historic ‘Global Education Forum’ conference in London, with Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson. Education ministers from Punjab and KP, along with hundreds of people from around the world, are participating in the conference.
Malala discussed the situation of girls in schools in Palestine, Lebanon and Afghanistan at the conference.
She said: “When I spoke to Palestinian girls at this school earlier this month, their biggest concern was their upcoming exams. How can they continue their studies if they can’t even get to class? The girls understand the problems, but they also have solutions. In Nigeria, where one in three girls is married before their 18th birthday, girls told me we need to fight early marriage. But, at the same time, they want government policies that allow married and pregnant girls to return to school – a path to continue their education without stigma or shame.
In Palestine, seven-year-old girls organize demonstrations for their right to education. Nowhere is their determination more courageous and vital than in Afghanistan, where girls are banned from school beyond the sixth grade under the Taliban’s brutal gender apartheid regime. Today, all over the country, they listen to lectures on the radio, discreetly pass around tapes and books, and try to continue studying in secret.
Malala told the conference: “My mother grew up in a village in Pakistan that had never had a secondary school for girls. When I decided to build one, people were quick to explain to me why it couldn’t be done. They said that building was impossible in such an isolated area. That qualified teachers would not want to work there. Local social norms meant that fathers would not allow their daughters to go to school even if they There was one. That didn’t stop me – and today, Shangla Girls’ School has 1,050 students. Secondary students achieved some of the highest grades in the province on their standardized exams.
Among those present at the lunch meeting with Malala were Sana Rahman, Maham Ali, Zeba Qureshi, Ramsha Ali, Shanzay Shiekh, Saba Azam, Zara Lashari, Harris Saeed, Abdullah Abubaker, Momin Saqib, Zahra Khan, Kashaf Ali, Pashma Abbas, Mohsin Naveed Ranjha, Mahnoor Omar, Emilie Yam, Nishat Riaz — Malala Managing Director Finance Pakistan, Hiba Siddiqui and Muhammad Ali.
