Naming was decided via the Fort Bend Independent School District\u2019s call for recommendations for the Elementary School 51 in Sugar Land
\nINP
\nKARACHI\/SUGAR LAND
\nA new school in Texas will be named after Pakistani education activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, the US state\u2019s district system decided after a meeting on Monday.
\nThe naming of Malala Yousafzai Elementary School was decided via the Fort Bend Independent School District\u2019s (FBISD) call for recommendations for the Elementary School 51 in Sugar Land.
\nSpeaking to a private TV channel, Veronica Sopher, the chief communications officer at the FBISD, said: \u201cThe district is very excited for this opportunity to name the school after someone so committed to education for everyone.
\nEducation is a fundamental right for everyone,\u201d Sopher added.
\nIn a statement, the FBISD Superintendent of Schools Dr Charles Dupre called Malala a \u201ctrue advocate for education\u201d.
\n\u201cFort Bend ISD is proud to name Malala Yousafzai Elementary in honour of a true advocate for education,\u201d Dr Dupre added.
\n\u201cThrough her compassion for others and servant leadership, Yousafzai is an embodiment of these characteristics, which we are trying to instill in our students.\u201d
\nZiauddin Yousafzai, Malala\u2019s father, who is accompanying the education activist on a trip to Australia said that upon receiving the news, he said: \u201cThis is such a great and encouraging news, I\u2019m very thankful for this.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for young students to get inspiration.\u201d
\n\u201cMalala\u2019s name is known globally and now, for a school to be associated with Malala\u2019s name, it just shows that the spirit of education is being wholeheartedly promoted,\u201d he stated.
\nAfter her father told her about the news, Malala conveyed to TV channel that she was \u201cquite glad\u201d and \u201cgrateful to the Sugar Land community for helping spread her mission of education for girls\u201d.
\n\u201cWith this decision, they have shown their commitment to the great cause of educating young girls,\u201d Ziauddin said while quoting Malala.
\nAt present, there are some 130 million girls who are not in school, Malala\u2019s father explained, adding that \u201cwe need to lower this number\u201d.
\n\u201cI hope that these students will be given the best-quality education in the new Malala Yousafzai Elementary School.
\n\u201cI also hope that students and the world can collectively work for this cause \u2014 for school-age children unable to afford education to attend school. No child should think they are held back from educational opportunities because of their community, gender or background,\u201d he noted.
\nThe senior Yousafzai underscored that formal education not only allows kids to learn about the world but helps them in \u201cdeveloping critical thinking ability in young men and women\u201d. He also said education for all school children should be made free till at least Grade 12
\nWhen asked if they would be attending the Malala Yousafzai Elementary School\u2019s inauguration next year, he laughed and said: \u201cI cannot make any promises right now but should we receive an invitation and are in Texas or nearby, we would definitely love to attend and meet these amazing people.\u201d
\nEarlier, on December 10, an FBISD Board meeting had confirmed that the submissions for name recommendations were open for a month-long period ending October 23, 2018. Prior to that, a committee comprising Dr Joe Rodriguez, Dr Kwabena Mensah, and Board member Dave Rosenthal had met the principal, parents, teachers, and a student and a community representative.
\nMalala\u2019s name was chosen since she met the prerequisites of having \u201cmade a significant contribution to society\u201d and \u201clend(s) prestige and status to an institution of learning\u201d.
\nThe school district system, in its statement, explained that Malala\u2019s name was selected from \u201cover 100 names that were submitted for consideration\u201d.
\nThe school, which is slated to open in January 2020 in the Aliana neighbourhood and is, at present, being constructed, will be headed by Principal Lisa Langston.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Naming was decided via the Fort Bend Independent School District\u2019s call for recommendations for the Elementary School 51 in Sugar Land INP KARACHI\/SUGAR LAND A new school in Texas will be named after Pakistani education activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, the US state\u2019s district system decided after a meeting on Monday. The naming of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40916,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-national"],"yoast_head":"\n