Update: Malala Yousafzai Returns to School after Shooting

Earlier this week, Malala Yousafzai went back to school at the Edgbaston High School for Girls in the UK. The 15-year old education advocate from Pakistan expressed joy at returning to her studies after the tragic shooting back in October.

“I think it is the happiest moment that I’m going back to school, this is what I dreamed, that all children should be able to go to school because it is their basic right,” she told the BBC. “I am so proud to wear the uniform because it proves I am a student and that I am living my life and learning.” She continued to state that she hopes to learn about politics and law.

After being shot by a Taliban gunman in Swat Valley last year, the young advocate was rushed to the hospital where the bullet was removed from her head. Afterwards she was flown to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK, to receive treatment from a specialist. She now has a titanium plate fitted into her skull. She is also using a cochlear implant. After being released from rehabilitation, Malala and her family remained in the UK to avoid Taliban threats. After her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was appointed as education attaché at the Pakistan consulate in Birmingham, the Taliban vowed to take both the lives of Malala and her father if they ever returned to their country.

Despite these recent tragedies, Malala continues to state her desire to finish her education and fight for the right of other girls to attain education as well. She is starting school at year 9, and is expected to take her GCSE curriculum next year.

Creative Commons Love: Bruce Stokes on Flickr

Written by Sera Yoo