NEW YORK-Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai added another feather to her cap, an elementary school in Fort Bend, a county in the US state of Texas, was Monday named after the young Pakistani education activist.
“The Fort Bend ISD (Independent School District) Board of Trustees revealed the recommended name for Elementary School 51: Malala Yousafzai Elementary School,” according to an official statement, which recognized her courageous advocacy for human rights, especially the education of women and children.
During a Dec. 10 special meeting, it said, Trustee and Board Secretary Dave Rosenthal, who serves on the district’s school naming committee, said he met about a month ago with a group of teachers, parents, administrators and community members to discuss names for the school, and they were in agreement on Ms Yousafzai’s name.The school will be located in the county’s Aliana community.
“It was named after the young lady (from) Pakistan who stood up for education..”, Rosenthal said, adding that the community members thought that would be a very inspiring name for that school.”
Ms Yousafzai embodies the characteristics of the district’s Profile of the Graduate, a foundation that supports FBISD’s mission, vision and core beliefs, according to meeting documents.
She also aligns with criteria for name selection, including making a significant contribution to society; lending prestige and status to an institution of learning; and attaining prominence locally or nationally in fields of education, science, art, statesmanship, political science, military achievement or a Texas historical achievement, the documents pointed out.
Ms Yousafzai has so far won at least 25 prestigious awards, including International Children’s Peace Prize (2011), National Youth Peace Prize (2011), and Nobel peace Prize (2014).
