Malala Yousafzai Says That More Than 20 Million Girls Might Not Go Back To Schools After This Pandemic. This Is Worrying

Malala Yousafzai Says That More Than 20 Million Girls Might Not Go Back To Schools After This Pandemic. This Is Worrying

In 2012, when she was merely 15-years-old, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by Taliban extremists who had taken control of her village. She was targetted because she spoke out against the Taliban rule of not letting girls attend school. Ever since then, she has been using her voice to create awareness about educating young girls. And now, Malala has said that as many as 20 million girls will not return to school even after the COVID 19 crisis is over. It’s a disturbing thought, isn’t it? But it isn’t surprising. The pandemic has overshadowed all other issues. Actually, it has not only cancelled out whatever little progress we had made but also made everything much worse. 

That is exactly what Malala is trying to warn people about. You see, in countries like India or Pakistan, educating girls is not seen as a priority. More often than not, girls are pulled out of school and married off. This happened even before the pandemic. But now, according to Malala, nearly 20 million girls all around the world will not resume their education post the pandemic. So much for all the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaigns. 

She was speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday. The youngest Nobel laureate acknowledged that COVID-19 had been “a striking setback to our collective goals”, such as educating women. Basically, if girl’s education wasn’t in the dumpster before, it definitely is now. Just another thing we need to thank corona for. 

Also Read: Covid-19 Could Hamper Decades Of Progress For Women Globally, Said UN Chief. Protection Of Women’s Rights Needs To Be A Priority

At 23, Malala Yousafzai knows the threat this presents. She said, “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 dollars per year.” 

Malala reminded the international community that sustainable goals set by the UN five years ago determined the future for millions of young girls who wanted an education and were fighting for equality. She noted that very little work has been done to reach the goal, she asked the world body, “when are you planning to do the work?” 

She asked, “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?”  

We are so glad someone is asking the correct question. When are the authorities, our world leaders and everyone else planning on doing things that will make things easier for our future generations? Everyone is so busy handling the pandemic (badly) that they forgot there were already pressing issues. Whatever little progress activists like Malala had made has been washed over by this virus-y wave. It’s time we get back on track. 20 million girls should not have to live without education.

Let’s acknowledge Malala’s message as a warning and fight to correct it. It’s now or never.

https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/kerala-becomes-the-best-performing-state-for-education-of-girls-in-india-and-this-means-good-things-for-the-woman-and-her-family/

Mitali Shah

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