Everyone Deserves an Education

by Tessa Dinnie

In early October, Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year-old girl in Pakistan, was shot in the head and neck by a member of the Taliban for criticizing the government about the restrictions on women’s education. The girl was blogging under a pseudonym for the BBC about what a girl’s life in Pakistan is like, and the Taliban shot her to silence her. She is now recovering in a hospital in London.

Yousafzai lived in Swat Valley, which is controlled by the Taliban, who enforce Shari’a Law. Schooling is usually stopped at a very early age for girls. According to the new government in Pakistan, private schools were built to continue girls’ education, but the Taliban is in control of her region of Pakistan and put out an edict about closing girls’ schools.

In a 2009 diary entry that has now been published, she wrote the following:

In the past the reopening date was always announced clearly. The principal did not inform us about the reason behind not announcing the school reopening, but my guess was that the Taliban had announced a ban on girls’ education from 15 January.

This time round, the girls were not too excited about vacations because they knew if the Taliban implemented their edict they would not be able to come to school again. Some girls were optimistic that the schools would reopen in February, but others said that their parents had decided to shift from Swat and go to other cities for the sake of their education.

Since today was the last day of our school, we decided to play in the playground a bit longer. I am of the view that the school will one day reopen, but while leaving I looked at the building as if I would not come here again.

This story bothered me on so many levels. I am planning to go to college next year, and I have learned to value my education. I know now that without my education, I would never have learned the things I know now. I feel grateful that I got this schooling.

Before high school, I never wanted to do community service, mostly because I didn’t see the point. Now, because of the freshman CAP, I look for opportunities to do community service. This past weekend, I was volunteering at Harpoon Helps, and I went to a family homeless shelter. I met a young girl who told me that her favorite part of school was homework. That little girl wants to go to school and learn.

My high school teaches students the value of helping others who do not have the same opportunities as you. Without my education, I probably would not have learned that.

No one, no matter where they live, should miss out on school. That’s not fair to anyone, not to the students, not to the community, not to the country.

Quite frankly, I’m surprised that after this tragedy, more people are not outraged by this. It’s important that we fight for girls’ right to education because with education, girls can do anything they want. Some of the greatest minds in the world today are women.

The United Nations is a perfect way to go into Pakistan and peacefully work something out where girls, no matter what, will always be permitted to go to school and get a good education. Although the problem with the Taliban is always lingering, there are ways to overrule them and bring equality back to education. Malala Yousafzai has just lit the flame to bring an education revolution to the land of Swat Valley.