20m girls may never return to school, warns Malala
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani education activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has warned that as many as 20 million girls may never return to schools even ater the global COVID-19 crisis is over, the media reported on Sunday.
Speaking at a side event of the UN General Assembly on Friday, Malala acknowledged that COVID-19 had been “a striking setback to our collective goals,” such as educating women.
“On education alone, 20 million more girls may never go back to the classroom when this crisis ends ( and) the global education funding gap has already increased to $200 billion per year,” she said.
Malala, who became of the face of Taliban brutality when she was shot in the head for going to school in the Swat valley, reminded the international community that sustainable global goals, set by the UN five years ago, represented the future for millions of girls who wanted education and were fighting for equality.
Noting that litle had been done in the last five years to achieve those goals, she asked the world body, “when are you planning to do the work”?
“When will you commit the necessary funding to give every child 12 years of quality education? When will you prioritise peace and protect refugees? When will you pass policies to cut carbon emissions?” she queried.
According to a UN report released last month, the global coronavirus pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion students in more than 190 countries and all continents.
Closures of schools and other learning spaces have impacted 94 per cent of the world’s student population, up to 99 per cent in low and lowermiddle-income countries, it added.
Earlier this month a media report said that Malala Yousafzai is set to begin a book club, which will comprise underrated titles by marginalised voices.
For her book club, Malala is collaborating Literati, a Texas-based children’s book club and subscription service, the Dawn news report said.
Besides Malala, Literati has also enlisted American professional basketball player Stephen Curry, journalists Susan Orlean, British business magnate Richard Branson and the Joseph Campbell Foundation to head up their own curated book clubs.
“Sign up to join me and together we’ll explore books from new voices and prominent writers women with bold ideas and storytellers who show the world from their unique perspective,” she wrote on Instagram.