Tag: girls education

  • Militants blow up first private school in North Waziristan

    Militants blow up first private school in North Waziristan

    A private girls’ school called Afia Islamic Girls Public School was blown up by unidentified militants in Tehsil Shewa of North Waziristan district on Wednesday night, reports Dawn.

    The police said the militants first assaulted the school watchman and later blew up two rooms of the school. There was, however, no loss of life in the explosion.

    Locals say that it was the only private girls’ school in the area and its administration had received multiple threat letters in the past.

    Journalist Iftikhar Firdous wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he was contacted by the owner of the school and was told how the school was formed after going against the tide and now it is destroyed. Firdous wrote, “He was emotional so I asked him to share what he felt in his own words.”

    As government schools are “non-functional”, private schools are playing their part in promoting education. “In North Waziristan, the private sector plays an important role in promoting boys’ education, but there was no private girls’ school present in the area”.

    The owner deliberated with the elders of the region because he was determined to promote girls’ education. “For the construction of a private school for girls in Tehsil Shewa, we contacted different people, but no one was ready to build a school for girls because they said that the Taliban would destroy it since they are against female education, and we are not ready to invest in girls’ education in our area.”

    The owner convinced his friend, working as a laborer in the UAE, to invest Rs 10 lacs into the construction of a girls’ school in Tehsil Shewa, North Waziristan, as it would help promote girls’ education in the area. “He readily agreed with our advice and was ready to invest money in the girls’ school.” The owner related that the funds were not enough and so it took three years for completion. It was inaugurated on May 19, 2023. “In less than one year, 100 girls got admission to Afia School, and with every passing day, the strength of the school increased,” he told Firdous in an emotional tone.

    On May 9, 2024, at midnight 1 PM, unknown persons destroyed the school with a bomb, while also breaking chairs and whiteboards.

    Firdous shared how he ended the note determined to promote the cause he believes in.“In this way, they stopped our girls from education, but we will continue our struggle for the promotion of girls’ education until death”.

  • ‘Massive dissapointment’: Malala’s failure to mention genocide in Gaza during lecture has Twitter angry

    ‘Massive dissapointment’: Malala’s failure to mention genocide in Gaza during lecture has Twitter angry

    Girls education activist Malala Yousafzai was selected to give the 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg. In her speech, the Noble Prize Winner spoke at length about the gender apartheid in Afghanistan against women and girls, with no mention of the genocide of Gaza where the death toll has now crossed 15,000 civilians.

    In an interview with The Associated Press, Malala urged for a ceasefire in Gaza, pointing to attention to the countless schools and homes that have been bombarded in the war, and for war criminals to be held accountable.

    Nelson Mandela was a staunch pro-Palestine supporter, who famously said during his visit to Gaza in 1999 that he “felt at home among compatriots”.

    “There is an apartheid state committing a genocide at the moment which you’ve been disappointingly silent on. If you take away anything from this trip, it should be the courage to speak up about what is happening in the here and now,” wrote a user.

    “Ironic that she mentioned apartheid, reason for Mandela’s struggle, yet not a word about Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians, brutal human rights violation and the ongoing genocide. Nothing but just a mouthpiece can’t be my inspiration anymore,” wrote another user.

    “She’s visiting South Africa, a country with apartheid history and she chooses to stay silent on an ongoing genocide. Mandela would have hated her bigotry if he was alive, his resistance was against the same mindset,” said a tweet.

    Previously Malala released a statement on October 10 grieving for the Palestinian and Israeli children who were caught in the war. Many were quick to slam the feminist activist for failing to recognise that this was a genocide where more Palestinian lives were being lost everyday.

    Many have drawn comparisons between Malala’s silence and climate change activist Greta Thunberg’s outspoken resistance against the genocide of Gaza. Greta published an op-ed for The Guardian where she criticised Israel as the death toll grows in Gaza, with more children passing away from Israeli airstrikes.

  • Malala’s hilarious response to Tik Tok user has the internet in fits

    Malala’s hilarious response to Tik Tok user has the internet in fits

    Malala is an icon for her bravery but she is also the absolute Queen savage comebacks to put down her haters.

    What’s hilarious is how much people keep underestimating her wicked sense of humor, but Malala has time and time again proven that she knows how to get the last word on her enemies.

    Like remember the time when the entire country was clutching their pearls because the Noble Prize activist said she prefers not to get married, she trolled her haters with this gif.

    Or when a boy tried to impress her with his thirst traps, the activist turned him down with the coldest rejection.

    This time, users are once more in fits because of Yousafzai’s hilarious response to a TikTok user who was celebrating the fact that she skipped her classes in school.

    Malala Fund responded to the tweet saying: “Boo”

    Twitter users have found the entire exchange hilarious because imagine getting caught like this, we could never!

  • Father-Daughter duo gets PhD degree on same day in Peshawar

    Father-Daughter duo gets PhD degree on same day in Peshawar

    A father and daughter duo have secured PhD degree on the same day from the University of Engineering Technology (UET), Peshawar.

    Father, Dr Masood Khan, obtained a PhD degree in Mechatronics while his daughter, Dr Nadia Masood, achieved a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering. On the convocation day, Dr Masood Khan said that he could not complete his PhD due to some domestic responsibilities.

    While talking to Urdu News, Dr Nadia Masood said that she is proud to stand with her father to receive a PhD degree on the same day. She further added her family supported her throughout her journey as she was working in National Standard Artificial Intelligence at university.

    They both got admission in the year 2017 to UET after passing an entry test.

    Dr Nadia Masood has also availed Common Wealth’s scholarship during her PhD for which she got a chance to do her research work from England. She spent 1.5 years in the country to complete the research.

    During the interview, Dr Masood Khan said that this is the first time that a father and daughter duo received a PhD degree and it is also an inspiration to other people as well.

    He also felt happy that his daughter has completed PhD degree in Electrical Engineering. He also broke the stereotype of girls’ education and emphasised that education is equally important for men and women.

  • Nagar Valley girls to get first higher secondary school

    Nagar Valley girls to get first higher secondary school

    Gilgit Baltistan Education Minister Raja Azam Khan has announced that the provincial government is planning to develop the education sector in the area. He said that home schools have been set up in Diamer.

    As per reports, the minister announced that Government High School for Girls Nagar will be made a higher secondary school and a notification will be issued soon to begin secondary school classes in Girls High School.

    He said that efforts are being done to promote higher education in the areas where there is educational backwardness. He said that a home schools project has been initiated in Diameer district so that girls can get education in home schools.

    Incharge of the foundation, OneTen Foundation, which organized an event of uniform distribution to female students told that the foundation gives five per cent of its profits for social services in the early phase of Gilgit-Baltistan.

    The minister and the other speakers highlighted the importance of education in the area.

  • Malala’s future

    Malala’s future

    Pakistani women have time and again proven that despite the country’s patriarchal setup, they can always be counted on to make a mark. Malala Yousafzai, the country’s second and the world’s youngest Nobel laureate, is continuing the legacy of Pakistan’s iconic women.

    Malala graduated from Oxford University earlier this week. “Hard to express my joy and gratitude right now as I completed my philosophy, politics and economics degree at Oxford. I don’t know what’s ahead. For now, it will be Netflix, reading and sleep,” she tweeted.

    For someone so young, Malala has achieved what most of us cannot even imagine in our lifetimes. But it did not come easy; in fact, it was at a great personal cost. In 2009, Malala started writing a diary for BBC Urdu under the pen name ‘Gul Makai’. Swat Valley was under Taliban rule at the time. In one of the entries, she wrote, “I am sad watching my uniform, school bag and geometry box. I felt hurt on opening my wardrobe and seeing my uniform, school bag and geometry box. Boys’ schools are opening tomorrow. But the Taliban have banned girls’ education.”

    Malala and her family received multiple threats from the Taliban even after their rule ended in Swat.

    She was shot by the Taliban in October 2012 when she was on her way home from school in Swat. The Taliban tried to assassinate her because she had become an ambassador for girls’ education. The assassination attempt left her in a critical condition when she was taken to a hospital in Rawalpindi. She was later transferred to a hospital in the United Kingdom (UK).

    Malala went on to become a global icon. From writing a diary under a pseudonym at an incredibly young age to surviving a brutal assassination attempt, her bravery makes one wonder about the determination and grit this young woman has shown over the years. Despite her success, Malala remains down to earth and humble. One can see that there is no pretense.

    After her graduation, many are wondering what role she would take on in the future. It is for Malala to decide what is next but we can say with certainty that her future will not be anything ordinary. For an extraordinary woman like Malala, an ordinary job would obviously not do. She will always be a global ambassador for girls’ education and may well continue her work since it is a huge task indeed. Some speculate whether she will enter politics at some stage. Whatever she decides, we know she will continue to make Pakistan proud of her work.

    May your light continue to shine bright, Malala!