July 12 has been designated International Malala Day by the United Nations. This marks the date in 2013 that then 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai delivered a rousing speech at the UN headquarters focussing on access to education for women and girls worldwide, appealing to leaders across the globe. It also happens to be her birthday.
Malala was born in Pakistan in 1997. Her father ran a school for girls and wanted equal opportunities for his daughter. This led to Malala speaking up about education rights early on from the age of 11, even blogging for the BBC.
However, in 2009 the Taliban shut down girls’ schools in her area. Knowing the danger she faced, Malala continued to speak out. This led to Malala being shot in 2009, needing months of rehabilitation and surgeries to her head. Following her recovery, she moved to the United Kingdom to join her family in their new home.
Malala continued her activism from the UK, establishing the Malala Fund. In recognition of her work she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, becoming the youngest Nobel laureate ever.
What does Malala day mean to universities? Using our research and outreach, we need to support the efforts of activists like Malala to ensure a wide range of female students from across the globe are feeding into universities like ours. Diversity of thought and experience is great for universities, as diversity of ideas is essential for academic spaces to function in the modern world.
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