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MaKayla Stiffler Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 January 22, 2014 Topic Proposal: The Fight for Equal Education Introduction/Overview As Nelson Mandela once said, Education is the great engine of development. Education is something that is often taken for granted in the society that we live in today. Most people in this generation in the United States have grown up attending public school for free, not only because it is available, but because it is a requirement by law. Many are completely unaware of the types of inadequate or unavailable education systems that exist, if any, in countries outside of the United States. Even if a school system is in place, it can be very costly, and is not available to those of all genders or social classes. Through my project, I will be researching what types of education opportunities exist in other countries and what is being done to improve these situations. I will examine what different organizations advocate for equal education and also what acts of law are being put into place to provide a more widespread education. In Pakistan it is highly unlikely that children have the opportunity to receive an education and on average girls are half as likely as boys to be enrolled. Luckily, in the United States, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 was put into place, which prohibits the discrimination of students and faculty. In the past one hundred years the United States has increased focus and funding on our public school systems, making an education more widely available to US citizens. Many people of my generation never stop to think or appreciate the

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educational opportunities that have been afforded to them. Many countries in the world do not place the same priority on education like the United States does. For example, in most African countries children must pay to attend school. If their parents cannot afford it, they do not receive an education. I think making people more aware of how lucky they are to receive this free education will not only improve educational results in the United States, but could enact change for other countries. In gathering basic information surrounding my topic, I conducted a lot of searches around equal education. However, before conducting any research, this topic came to me through another class that I am enrolled in. My womens studies professor showed a video on the first day of class that spoke on womens rights and the fight for equal education for girls. This video struck quite a bit of interest with me so this led me to do some digging. Immediately after watching this video, I reached out to one of my peers. I sent her this video and wanted her to provide a bit of feedback on the topic. She helped me narrow down exactly what I wanted to focus on and encouraged me to pursue this line of research. While collecting information, I read many websites for organizations that are advocates for education. I researched organizations like Chime for Change and Equal Education, which is based out of South Africa. After this, I watched many YouTube videos of protests that have taken place and people who have spoken out against this injustice that exists. Above all, I wanted to make sure that I chose something that I was passionate about, something I felt like I could impact others with. This debate surrounding equal education, not only for all social classes, but all genders, is growing larger and larger by the day. While there are many who strongly advocate for education, there are just as many who have backlashed on the debate as well. I think in the news today the one person who stands out, as the strongest advocate for education is Malala Yousafzai.

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Malala is a fifteen-year-old girl who has personally faced intense ridicule for wanting to pursue an education. I will speak more about her later on since she is the actual inspiration for why I wanted to focus my research around this issue. Currently, Malala is a Nobel Peace prize nominee for all of her work surrounding this topic. She has given several speeches throughout the world and has truly been a symbol of what it looks like to stand up for what you believe in. While Malala seems to be covering much ground, the Taliban will work to hold her back every step of the way. Mullah Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Taliban actually spoke in an interview about three weeks ago on the education system in Pakistan. Ahamdi said that it was not the Talibans intention to keep their people uneducated, but that God has created a place in the world for women and that does not involve education. While there are many people hard at work to improve the education, many cultures are set in their customs and ideas and many of these cultures do not approve of women being provided with an education. Not only do some countries keep women out of the education system, but they also prevent those of lower social classes from attending school. In many countries the gap between the wealthy and the poor is very large. Some leaders do not believe in providing education to those of lower social classes because they want to keep the classes separate. This type of separation occurs largely in countries like South Africa, where poverty is very prevalent. Initial Inquiry Question(s) Why is education not equally available to those of all social classes and genders? What is being done to develop the education systems in poverty-stricken countries? Is this an issue that is on the forefronts of peoples minds?

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Could cultures that have negative or degrading views of women hold the progress of education back?

My Interest in this Topic As I mentioned before, this topic struck me because of a video that was shown to me. This video was produced by one of the organizations that I mentioned before, Chime for Change. The video sent a hopeful message about womens rights and what the future for women could look like. A large portion of this video focused on Malala Yousafzai. About a year ago, the Taliban, while she was on her way to school, shot Malala in the face. This incident was no accident, the Taliban targeted Malala and they have had their eyes on her for a few years now. Malala was targeted because she was openly blogging about her hopes for the education system. She hopes that one day every girl will be able to attend school and receive a proper education. Outside of Malalas story there is not much that I know about this debate. However, this girls story has struck a cord with me. I have always known that the United States is very wealthy compared to many other countries and that people in other countries have not been afforded the same opportunities that exist in the United States. However, I was not aware of the seriousness of the situation. I had no idea that girls were still being kept out of school because that is not their place in society. It is shocking to me that in the 21st century these discriminations still exist. I hope that through this project I will not only be able to educate myself on this ongoing debate, but that I will also be able to impact others with this story and hopefully ignite interest to make a change. Next Steps Throughout the duration of this project, I plan to watch the news very closely to stay aware of new interviews that are being done with the Taliban and others opposing equal

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education. I also want to become more aware of what lengths Malala Yousafzai has gone to in order to make her voice heard. I think it will be very important to research what kinds of restrictions are placed on education in other cultures. Since it is important to understand where these restrictions stem from, I will also conduct background research on these cultures and religions practiced in these countries to better understand their views on education. I have found various documentaries that relate to this topic, such as Malala: A Girl From Paradise, Class Dismissed: Malalas Story, and Making of Malala, that I will watch in full length to conduct more research. Much of the research I have found involves Malala Yousafzai because she is the one on the forefront of the issue. However, Malala is fighting for equal education for all people not just women specifically. Overall, I hope that my project inspires me to get involved in this issue and do my part to try and advocate for equal education.