Nobel laureate Malala kicks off first day at Oxford, five years after Taliban shooting

World’s youngest Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai started her studies at Oxford University on Monday, five years after she was shot in the face by the Taliban for championing education for girls.

“5 years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls’ education. Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford,” the 20-year-old prominent activist said on Twitter.

5 years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls' education. Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford. pic.twitter.com/sXGnpU1KWQ

— Malala (@Malala) October 9, 2017

Malala shot to prominence when a Taliban gunman shot her in the head in 2012, after she was targeted for her campaign against efforts by the regime to deny women education in Pakistan.

She also authored a blog for the BBC where she wrote about her life under the Taliban in northern Pakistan where education for girls was banned.

After recovering, she attended school in England and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

Older sister’s advice:

Work hard, take care of everyone and the family, don’t fight with @atalkyousafzai and always obey your SISTER…. https://t.co/psPp1uVPdA

— Malala (@Malala) October 7, 2017

In a reply on the microblogging site, Malala’s brother, Khushal Yousafzai, said: “Sorry for being a headache for the last 5 years. So grateful you are still with us. Ik (I know) you miss me but i am coming to oxford in 2years.”

According to the Telegraph, Malala received responses from thousands of well-wishers who gave messages of congratulations after she made the Twitter posting. Within hours, the post gained more than 150,000 likes.

Malala had earlier received a conditional offer from Oxford’s Lady Margaret Hall, contingent on the results of her exams. Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s first female prime minister, is an alumnus of Lady Margaret Hall in the 1970s.

Malala will be studying philosophy, politics and economics, or PPE, which UK daily The Guardian has dubbed “the Oxford degree that runs Britain.”

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