Nobel laureate and activist Malala Yousufzai is in Pakistan after a long time and she is already rallying support for more educational ventures. Malala recently met popular influencers and celebrities to discuss ways to be innovative with the education system in Pakistan.
A selfie going viral on social media sees Abdullah Siddiqui, Zara Peerzada, Ghazi Taimoor, Mehek Saeed and others rubbing shoulders with Malala. Sharing clips from their conversations with the 25-year-old activist, Siddiqui and Peerzada gave us a glimpse of Malala’s vision for an educated Pakistan. She emphasised the need to prioritise arts and music in schools as formal subjects and to bring stories of women on screens so their fundamental right to education is normalised.
On Sunday, Siddiqui posted a video where he termed formal art education a “great equaliser” in the West regarding how students are introduced to all possible professions at a young age, and not just sciences or business. He further asked Malala’s thoughts on whether it is even possible to prioritise arts and music in schools when the current state of education is already in dire need of attention on a fundamental level.
Agreeing with Siddiqui, Malala shared an anecdote from when she had arrived in the UK. “I studied in Pakistan till grade 9, and after that, I was moved to the UK for my treatment. When I went to a school there, they were showing me around different classes and there was biology, physics, chemistry, math and English; all that I was familiar with and even good at. In fact, I was better at math so we’re good with sciences and math,” she said.
“But then they had classes on physical education, art, music, cooking and textiles, and even drama and so much more. I was so surprised to see that these are also subjects. I was advocating for education but I did not even know that it is not just about sciences and math and English. It is much broader than that.”
Defining what education should be like, she said, “It is actually giving more choices to children to learn about all areas, and then decide for themselves what they want. It is making sure that we prioritise all of these subjects equally. Artists, musicians, painters, and chefs complete a society; they’re needed. I do believe that we need to really broaden the definition of education in Pakistan. There’s a lot that needs to be added.”.
Siddiqui also posted a picture with the global icon and called the meeting a “surreal feeling.” He wrote, “It’s a surreal feeling to see an icon in person, and it’s a monumental feeling to get to talk to them and understand their humanity. Thank you Malala for everything that you do, and thank you for taking the time to meet with us and share your experience and wisdom.”
Following the anecdote, Peerzada, who strongly feels that stories can bring empathy and kindness in society, asked Malala about what can artists like her do on an individual and creative community level to increase access for women to education. “What kind of stories can we tell to help people become comfortable with the idea of women in schools?” she asked in a video posted on her Instagram on Saturday.
“I think we should engage with women and learn about their struggles to get an education. When more and more people will hear your story, it will help the masses understand the gravity of the situation.”
Malala then pointed to important statistics. “For example, there are 12 million out-of-school girls. That’s a big number but we have to go deeper and see what that means in a community and in an individual’s life. Telling such stories is a huge sustainable investment and so is education.”
Peerzada also posted a picture with the youngest Nobel Laureate to share how “excited” she is to see all the stories Malala will introduce the world to as a producer, and all the people she’ll give a voice to. “Thank you for reminding us, that even the simplest stories deserve to be told and shared,” concluded Peerzada.
