Ziauddin Yousafzai was influenced by his father to campaign for educational rights. Ziauddin attended the Jahanzeb College in Pakistan, beginning his campaigning whilst acting as the General Secretary for the Pukhtoon Students Federation. This group campaigned for equal rights for Pashtuns, fuelling Ziauddin’s passion for creating equality for everyone. Ziauddin graduated from Jahanzeb College with a Masters degree in English and a desire to change the world for the better.
Famed for being the father of Malala Yousafzai, Ziauddin knew that once his daughter was old enough to understand he would tell her of the injustices in the education system of their country. In Pakistan when girls turned a certain age they were no longer permitted to attend school, instead of expected to attend to the duties of the household- cooking for the male members of their family. Ziauddin was a firm believer that this was wrong, and instead passionately inspired his daughters to stand up against the oppression that faced them. Being an activist of something so controversial in his country, Ziauddin unfortunately experienced immense horror. Ziauddin continually inspired his daughter to go against the cultural expectations of her country, educating her himself and making sure that she was not left illiterate like many other Pakistani women. In 2012 disaster struck Ziauddin’s family, after his daughter Malala was shot in the head on her way home from taking an exam as punishment for her activism.
Luckily Ziauddin’s daughter made a full recovery and the pair have continued their advocacy for equal education. Rising to public prominence alongside his daughter, Ziauddin is now frequently called upon to deliver public speeches worldwide. In his proficiency as a speaker, Ziauddin discusses his motivation for becoming an activist for education- having to go to school whilst his sisters stayed at home and never seeing their names written when they were growing up. He has previously been interviewed for television, featuring on the current affairs programme The Agenda and delivered the TED talk My Daughter, Malala. In his TED talk, he discusses his sincere belief that every man and woman deserves an equal opportunity for independent identity, autonomy and most importantly education. He also published an autobiography in 2018, titled Let Her Fly which details the continual fight for equal education.
In 2015 Ziauddin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Wilfrid Laurier University, and another later in 2017 from the University of Ottawa. An honest, authentic and personable speaker, Ziauddin’s passion for equality is infectious. In his public speeches, he details his experiences as an activist whilst enforcing the importance of education for all.
