LAHORE: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai visited a public school for girls here on Wednesday and gave a patient hearing to their issues involving lack of safe transportation, child marriages and education quality.

Malala Fund Pakistan and its Education Cham­pions Network held a dialogue on “Driving the Girls’ Education Agenda in Pakistan — Current Status and the Way For­ward”. It was attended by more than 50 participants, including parliamentarians, representatives of the government, NGOs, academia, ed­­ucation experts and schoolgirls.

The students from Go­­v­ernment Muham­ma­dia Girls High School highlighted issues like lack of safe transportation, child marriages and education quality and demanded that relevant stakeholders take steps to address these challenges.

All the participants were in agreement that the girls’ education agenda can only be taken forward if all partners work collectively and find creative solutions to the problems highlighted.

While concluding the event, Ms Yousafzai committed to working with Malala Fund’s partners and the government to make sure these long-standing issues are highlighted and resolved to ensure schoolgirls do not lose the chance to complete their education and realise their dreams.

Later, she met Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and discussed with him the issues being faced by girl students.

She and her team raised different issues, including shortage of science/mathematics teachers in high schools, law against corporal punishment in schools and religious seminaries, release of funds worth Rs165 million approved for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education and shortage of high schools in south Punjab.

CM Elahi ordered recruitment of 10,000 teachers in STEAM and tabling of a new law against corporal punishment in the assembly.

He directed the school education department secretary to hold a meeting to release Rs165m for STEAM. He also asked the secretary meet the students of Government Muhammadia Girls High School and solve their problems.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2022