Pakistan’s second Nobel Laureate, Malala Yousafzai, has come to Pakistan to promote access to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education for young girls and a fellowship program that trains teachers in Pakistan. STEAM education encourages students to develop creative problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and collaboration, while also learning the core subjects of each discipline. By providing students with a more holistic approach to education, STEAM education can help them develop essential skills and habits that will help them become successful in their future endeavours. This system is important because it helps prepare students with the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st-century workforce. These skills are essential to being successful in today’s job market and are becoming increasingly important as technology advances. STEAM education also helps foster creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. By teaching students how to think and work through problems, STEAM education helps to develop well-rounded individuals who can adapt to and succeed in any field.
Malala Yousafzai has been a strong advocate for girls’ education since the time she was in school. She was attacked by the Taliban for this very reason, but that did not stop her from pursuing the case further. She established the Malala Fund, which is a non-profit organization, in 2013. The organization works to provide access to quality education for girls globally, with a particular focus on countries in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. The Fund works in a variety of ways, including advocating for policy change, providing grants to organizations that support girls’ education, and investing in programs that promote girls’ educational opportunities. Malala Fund also works to raise awareness of the importance of education for girls and offers other programs in support of this mission.
Educating girls is extremely important because it has been proven to have a positive impact on society as a whole. Girls who are educated are more likely to become empowered individuals who can take on a more active role in their communities. They are also more likely to participate in the workforce, earn higher incomes, and help reduce poverty. Educated girls are more likely to marry later, and have fewer children, and those children are likely to be healthier and better educated. Educating girls also helps to reduce gender inequality, violence, and discrimination, thus improving the overall quality of life for everyone.
In Pakistan, the gender gap in education is a major issue. A vast majority of girls in Pakistan are not enrolled in school, and the number of girls who are enrolled is far lower than that of boys. Girls are often not given the same access to education as boys, as they are often expected to stay home to help with household duties. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, approximately two-thirds of girls are currently out of school. This gender gap in education is a major concern for the future of Pakistan, as the lack of education for girls can lead to increased poverty, malnutrition, and health problems.
With the awareness campaign led by Malala and the Oxford Programme Pakistan, not only will the gender gap be reduced, but girls will move towards STEAM education, which is the need of the hour. The future of Pakistan is its female population, which constitutes about 48% of the total. Once this half is educated and participates in the labour force, the problems of a booming population, a lack of skilled labour, domestic violence, and other gender-related issues are likely to be solved.
