Today, I am thankful for those who stand up for the education of every child, irrespective of who they are and what they look like.
My parents were born in Greece at a despairing time filled with famine, poverty, and civil unrest. Born in 1933 in the midst of a global depression, my father spent most of his childhood years destitute and in despair. When he turned 10, his village was occupied by Nazi troops. As one of the elders and respected men in town, his own father fled the village and lived incognito in a village nearly an hour away, as rumors at that time had indicated that the Nazi regime would routinely punish and torture village leaders as a means to intimidate and subordinate the townsfolk into passive acquiescence. Even after Word War II ended and his village was liberated by the Allied troops, civil war would envelop Greece for nearly a decade thereafter. Hence, my dad’s education at the local school was curtailed at any early age. He only achieved an eighth grade education. In the United States where I was born and raised after my father had emigrated from Greece, we are indeed fortunate to have a system that affords free public education for children up through the twelfth grade. In many ways, as my father once told me, education is the great equalizer that allows for individuals to thrive in their society. Although the quality of pre-collegiate education varies from county to county, and even state to state, national and state standards have been established to ensure equal educational opportunity irrespective of race, ethnic background, religion, or gender. In fact, in the United State, one’s right to education is guaranteed irrespective of one’s wealth or citizenship. These civil rights are protected by Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972.
Sadly, these same rights to education do not hold true throughout the world. Although many global conventions have advocated for free, compulsory education that meets the Framework of Four As (i.e., education that is available, accessible, acceptable, and adaptable), nearly 75 million children are prohibited from attending school every day.
Such was the case nearly twelve years ago when the Taliban assumed control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan. Much as was done years before in Afghanistan, the extremist group banned the Pashtun girls from attending schools in the region. One of the teachers of a local girl’s school was highly distraught that his own daughter, Malala, could no longer attain a proper education. Inspired by her father’s commitment, Malala, who was only twelve at the time, called out her oppression in a blog for BBC Urdu, wherein she used a pseudonym. The next year, she spoke out more overtly in a New York Times documentary. By that time, the Pakistani government had regained the stronghold from the Taliban in the Swat Valley and Malala was able to resume her education. However, the Taliban insurgents who still hid in the area were outraged by her vocal opposition. One day, several gunmen boarded her school bus on its way home, and they shot Malala in the head. She miraculously survived after a long rehabilitation in Punjab and later in Manchester, United Kingdom. She decided to dedicate her life to ensuring every girl can receive the education she rightfully deserves. She initiated a charity, the Malala Fund, that champions for the secondary education of girls in places like Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, and Syria. She sits on the Board of the Fund, together with her father, Ziauddin. While Malala continues her philanthropic mission, she attended college at the University of Oxford, where she recently received a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. For her efforts, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 – the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in the history of the century-old foundation.
Today (July 12), Malala is celebrating her 23rd birthday. I’m sure the only present she desires if for all 12-year old girls to have the right to an education that is free, safe, and of the highest quality.
So, the next time your kids complain they don’t want to go to school, gently remind them of Malala’s story.
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