Quiz of the Day
Malala Day: Girls' Education & Courage
Sunday, 12 July 2026
One girl, one book, one pen — Malala Yousafzai and the global fight for girls' education
1. Malala Yousafzai was born in which valley of Pakistan, known for its scenic beauty and Taliban occupation?
- Kashmir Valley
- Kaghan Valley
- Hunza Valley
- Swat Valley
The Swat Valley, once a tourism destination known as the 'Switzerland of Pakistan,' was occupied by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan from 2007-2009. During this period, girls' schools were bombed and women were largely forbidden from public life, transforming a peaceful region into a conflict zone.
2. At what age was Malala shot by a Taliban gunman in October 2012?
- 15
- 11
- 13
- 17
Malala was shot on her school bus in the Swat Valley on October 9, 2012. The bullet struck her in the head, passed through her skull, and lodged in her shoulder. She was airlifted to Pakistan then flown to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK, where surgeons saved her life.
3. Malala became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history. In what year did she receive the award?
- 2012
- 2014
- 2016
- 2013
Malala shared the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize with Indian children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi. At 17, she remains the youngest Nobel laureate in history. In her acceptance speech she declared: 'One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.'
4. Before becoming an activist, Malala wrote a blog for the BBC under a pseudonym. What name did she use?
- Nazia Khan
- Gul Makai
- Sitara Bibi
- Zara Ahmed
The pseudonym Gul Makai means 'cornflower' in Pashto — the name of the heroine in a Pakistani folk tale. The blog, translated from Urdu, described daily life under Taliban rule and her fear of going to school. It was read worldwide and brought international attention to the situation in Swat.
5. The Malala Fund, co-founded by Malala and her father Ziauddin, focuses on ensuring how many years of safe, quality education for girls?
- 16 years
- 8 years
- 12 years
- 10 years
The Malala Fund's '12 Years of Free, Quality Education' campaign argues that 12 years of schooling — completing secondary education — is the threshold at which women gain economic independence, delay marriage and childbirth, and are empowered to make their own life decisions.
6. Approximately how many girls worldwide are currently denied access to education?
- 130 million
- 300 million
- 30 million
- 10 million
Around 130 million girls are out of school globally, according to UNESCO. The barriers include poverty, distance, gender-based violence, child marriage, and cultural norms. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have the highest concentrations of girls denied education.
7. Which country has the largest gender gap in education at the primary level?
- Sudan
- Chad
- Niger
- Afghanistan
After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, girls above grade 6 were banned from schools entirely — one of the world's most severe restrictions on female education. UNESCO called it the only country on Earth where girls are legally barred from secondary school, affecting millions of girls.
8. Malala's memoir, published in 2013, has which title?
- A Voice for Girls
- Daughter of the Valley
- The Bullet That Changed the World
- I Am Malala
I Am Malala became an international bestseller and was later adapted into multiple editions, including a version for young adults. It was co-written with journalist Christina Lamb and translated into dozens of languages, bringing Malala's story to readers who had never heard of the Swat Valley.
9. Where did Malala study at university after her recovery?
- London School of Economics
- University of Oxford
- University of Edinburgh
- Cambridge University
Malala graduated from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 2020. She famously tweeted a photo holding her degree with the caption noting it was a landmark given that the Taliban had tried to stop her going to school entirely.
10. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who shared the prize with Malala, campaigned primarily against what?
- Female genital mutilation
- Child soldiers
- Child trafficking
- Child labour
Satyarthi founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) and has helped free more than 80,000 children from slavery and bonded labour in India. The joint award was seen as a deliberate message about cross-religious cooperation — Satyarthi is Hindu and Malala is Muslim.
11. Pakistan's education system faces a major 'out of school' crisis. Roughly how many Pakistani children of school age are not in school?
- 35 million
- 22 million
- 5 million
- 12 million
Pakistan has one of the world's largest out-of-school populations — around 22 million children. Girls are disproportionately affected, particularly in rural areas and regions like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Despite this, Pakistan has significantly improved its overall literacy rate since independence.
12. What term describes the practice of marrying girls under 18, which education is proven to dramatically reduce?
- Dowry marriage
- Arranged marriage
- Endogamy
- Child marriage
Each additional year of secondary education a girl receives reduces her probability of child marriage by 5-10%. Globally, about 650 million women alive today were married before age 18. Child marriage perpetuates cycles of poverty and is associated with higher maternal mortality.
13. On which street in Pakistan was Malala shot, now a notable location in Mingora city?
- School Road
- Kanju Road
- Rohingya Street
- Haji Baba Road
The shooting took place as Malala's school bus was driving along Haji Baba Road in Mingora, the main town of the Swat Valley. After her survival and global fame, the site became a point of both pilgrimage and reflection — a marker of how violently some resist girls' education.
14. Which UK hospital was instrumental in saving Malala's life after she was flown from Pakistan?
- Addenbrooke's Hospital
- Royal London Hospital
- Great Ormond Street Hospital
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is one of the world's leading trauma and neurosurgery centres. Malala underwent multiple operations there, including reconstructive skull surgery and a cochlear implant to restore her hearing. She remained in the UK with her family, who were granted relocation for safety reasons.
15. Malala's father Ziauddin Yousafzai ran a school in Swat and was a strong advocate for his daughter's education. What is unusual about how he raised her?
- He refused to register her birth
- He gave her a traditionally male name
- He allowed her to speak freely and choose her own path
- He taught her alongside boys
In a patriarchal society where girls were often silent, Ziauddin encouraged Malala to speak at community meetings, debate with adults, and express opinions freely from childhood. He later said the most important thing he did for his daughter was 'not clip her wings.' His example has become part of the Malala Fund's advocacy for fathers as allies.