Malala’s return to school

One can only hope there will come a time when situation is conducive enough for Malala to return to her homeland.

If ever a lesson is needed in how to triumph in the face of adversity, one need not look further than our very own Malala Yousufzai. This courageous and spirited 15-year-old girl from Swat attended her first day of school in the UK on March 19, weeks after being released from a hospital following reconstructive surgery on her skull following a dastardly attack by the Taliban in October last year. The young girl, who has been nominated for this year’s Nobel peace prize, told reporters that her return to school — she joins class nine to study for her GCSEs — was “the most important day of her life”. She, and her family, have rightfully been described as a beacon of hope for the country as they have vowed to soldier on with their fight to promote education for girls.

It is a tragedy that Malala cannot return to Swat to continue the good fight but is understandable till our government can guarantee her safety and that of her family. The attack on her, and her inability to return, serve as yet another reminder of the fact that the state has lost the ability to provide people across the country with basic needs, of which law and order tops the list. One can only hope that there will come a time in the future when the situation is conducive enough for Malala to return to her homeland.

UN officials marked Malala Day in November and urged Pakistan to use cash stipends as an incentive for families to send their children to school, especially girls, as a way to honour Malala. According to UN figures, more than five million children do not go to school. Pakistan’s literacy rate is 58 per cent and each government makes tall claims about wanting to eradicate illiteracy and unemployment but fails miserably in doing so. This cannot happen if the amount allocated to education is a mere two per cent while money spent under other heads, like the defence expenditure and debt servicing is substantially more. It is no wonder then that Pakistan is so dependent on foreign donors for social programmes involving the education and health sectors and our heroes, like Malala Yousufzai, have to seek support elsewhere.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2013.