The Importance of Education in I Am Malala Essay Example

The novel, I Am Malala truly expresses the importance of education. As Malala grew up learning and knowing the importance of education from her parents, she became more mature and used her knowledge to help millions of people. 

Growing up in and around a school, Malala learned quickly the power that education has to shape a child's life, determine their prospects, and give them the courage to speak up for what they believe in. It was because of her education that Malala was empowered to stand strong against the Taliban occupation of her home, and she has used her fame to try to give as many other children as possible the opportunity to go to school.

As Malala grows up, her respect for education grows. While she excels in her classes with all the highest rankings, her most important moments of learning come when she sees the impact of education on others. This becomes clear in the chapter where Malala goes to Islamabad with her father’s friend, Shiza Shahid. In the large, cosmopolitan city, Malala is overjoyed to see women with professional careers and strong, forceful personalities. Each of these women tells Malala the same thing: pursue your education at all costs. It’s no coincidence that when Malala returns to her native town of Mingora, she throws herself into her political projects: condemning the Taliban for their opposition to universal education, making radio broadcasts, and reaching out to struggling women around her country. Malala’s coming-of-age largely consists of her increasing recognition of the value of learning.

The theme of education is also developed in the actions of those who oppose any attempt to deny it to Malala and other girls. The Taliban view education as a threat to their extreme conservative teachings from the Holy Quran. They use violence and intimidation to close schools and prevent girls from receiving an education. This only convinces Malala further that education is a powerful weapon to be used to achieve liberation and independence for all people. If it were not, her story shows, then the Taliban would not be trying so hard to deny it to people. 

There’s never a moment in I Am Malala where Malala has serious doubts about the value of education indeed, the only change in her attitude toward education is that she comes to value it more and more. As the book ends, Malala is stronger and more mature than ever, and thus, more confident about the value of education. In the final chapter, she embarks on her most ambitious project yet: a United Nations resolution designed to ensure an education for every child on the planet.