TEXAS: A new elementary school in Sugar Land in Texas will be named after Pakistani women’s rights activist and youngest Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai.
This was decided in a meeting of the Fort Bend Independent School District’s (ISD) board of trustees on Monday.
Veronica Sopher, the chief communications officer at the FBISD told a private media outlet that the district is proud to name the school after someone who is dedicated to education as “it is a fundamental right for everyone”.
The FBISD Superintendent of Schools Dr Charles Dupre also issued a statement in which he called Malala a “true advocate for education”.
The statement added that Malala’s compassion for others and servant leadership makes her a representation of those characteristics why they want to instil in their students.
“More than 100 names were submitted for consideration, and the committee was comprised of district teachers, parents and students, community members, staff and a board member.”
Malala Yousafzai Elementary is scheduled to open in January of 2020, and FBISD is currently in the process of establishing attendance boundaries for the new school.
Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai reportedly expressed his gratitude over the news. He added that students could take inspiration from this as Malala’s name is known worldwide.
“For a school to be associated with Malala’s name, it just shows that the spirit of education is being wholeheartedly promoted,” he added.
Malala also added that she was glad and grateful to the administration for their commitment to the cause of education.
Adding that around 130 million girls are out of school, her father emphasized that the number needs to be lowered.
He hoped that students who go to the new school will receive a good quality education and can work together for this case.
“I hope that these students will be given the best-quality education in the new Malala Yousafzai Elementary School.”
“No child should think they are held back from educational opportunities because of their community, gender or background,” he noted.
Ziauddin called for free education till at least Grade 12 for education allows children to understand the world and develop critical thinking skills.
When questioned if they were planning to attend the school’s inauguration in 2019, he said that he cannot make any promises: “However, should we receive an invitation and are in Texas or nearby, we would definitely love to attend and meet these amazing people.”