NEW YORK: Mother of Malala Yousufzai has enrolled herself in a school and is now able to speak and read and write a bit of English language, persuaded by her daughter.

“She wants to learn. She wants to get an education. She goes to school five days a week. She does her homework,” Malala said of her mother in an interview with the New York Times readers forum.

Even as Malala became an advocate for girls education, her mother remained illiterate, though her father, Ziauddin Yousufzai, ran a girls’ school in Pakistan.

“My mother is now learning English, becoming independent, goes to see the doctor on her own, goes to the shops and markets on her own,” Malala said.

“On the other hand, my father is now going towards the kitchen. He makes eggs. He cannot really do a lot of cooking, but he brings plates to the table, brings cups, puts jam and butter in those things. So he is getting better.

“These things are very important for us, because in many countries, people think the kitchen is just a woman’s job,” she said. Malala invited her mother to address the audience. Ms Ziauddin Yousufzai rose, adjusted her veil to make sure it was covering her head, described her new language skills and how they had changed her life at the forum.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2014