Deewa Report

If private schools are seeking ban on Malala’s book in Pakistan, the George Washington University Global Women Institute together with Malala Fund and others is developing curriculum tools to introduce “I Am Malala” at the university level around the globe.
The launching of “I Am Malala Resource Guide” is due at the George Washington University Global Women Institute at 12.00 noon on Thursday to be attended beside others by, Malala’s father Ziauddin Yousafzai. The Global Women’s Institute (GWI) is the educational partner of the Malala Fund, named after Malala Yousafzai, the teenager activist working to ensure that girls around the world have access to education. The GWI-affiliated faculty will work with the publisher Little, Brown and Company to develop curriculum tools regarding Malala’s memoir, I Am Malala. The book chronicles Malala’s efforts for girls’ education.
Malala Yousafzai survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban that almost killed her in October 2012 in her native Swat valley.
“Malala’s courageous campaign for girls’ education is an inspiration to all,” said Mary Ellsberg, GWI director. “We are honored to serve as the Malala Fund’s educational partner, and to work with Little, Brown and Company to develop a curriculum that will not only educate students but spark the very activism Malala stands for.”
The university-level curriculum will be available to faculty members and students around the world at no cost. The curriculum tools will focus on themes such as the importance of a woman’s voice, how education empowers women, global feminism, political extremism and youth activism. A cornerstone of the curriculum will be to encourage advocacy and service learning that extends beyond the classroom. Examples of successful campaigns and various toolkits will help students take action.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with the George Washington University and Little, Brown and Company to bring Malala’s story to students around the world,” said Shiza Shahid, co-founder and CEO of the Malala Fund. “We are so heartened by the support Malala has received, and we hope her book and this curriculum will give students the knowledge and resources to join Malala in her fight.
She said when Malala agreed to write the book, she hoped it would be used in schools and colleges around the world to help understand the circumstances of girls suffering from terrorism, violence and lack of opportunities. Her dedication of the book ‘to all the girls who have faced injustice and been silenced’ reflects this desire. “We hope this curriculum will spur a powerful debate on girls’ rights and international policy in American colleges” said Shiza Shahid.

Professors from any discipline will be able to use the curriculum tools, which will be created by an interdisciplinary group of GW faculty from the Elliott School of International Affairs, the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, the University Writing Program and women’s studies and religious studies programs in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
“All of us are on cloud nine. It is a privilege to develop this curriculum with such a dynamic group,” said Michele Clark, an adjunct professor in international affairs who will soon begin work with a team of faculty on the four-month project to develop the tools. “We look forward to creating the resources that help spread Malala’s message of educational equality.”
The curriculum tools will offer suggestions for group and individual assignments and activities, and will include a companion website with multimedia resources, such as interviews and video clips that illustrate cultural and political themes and challenges, helping students see and hear the challenges facing millions of girls around the world. After launching a pilot curriculum at universities—George Washington will begin to use it in various classes; faculty will also create a high-school curriculum to accompany the book.
“Malala’s incredible story touches on so many topics of vital importance to the educational community not just the value of an education to all people, but also the rights of women and girls everywhere, and a deeper understanding of Muslim culture and the political conflicts that shape our world,” said Heather Fain, vice president, associate publisher and marketing director at Little, Brown and Company. “We feel honored to be working with such a creative and forward-thinking university to make sure that ‘I Am Malala’ reaches as many students as possible.”