Reflecting on the Importance of Girls’ Education

Two of the most influential women in the world just came together to talk about the importance of education with a teen girl from Kolkata, India.

Teen Vogue facilitated a conversation between former US first lady Michelle Obama, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, and 17-year-old student Priya Mondol ahead of International Day of the Girl on Oct. 11. “My Voice, Our Equal Future” is this year’s theme for the United Nations advocacy day to raise awareness about gender inequality.

Yousafzai kicked off the chat by sharing that she’s met girls around the world who share her understanding of the power of education.

“I am passionate about girls’ education because I personally know what it is like to be denied the right to go to school — and I know that education is every girl’s best hope for the future,” she said.

The Taliban, a Sunni Islamic militant group, shot Yousafzai because she was advocating for girls' education in 2012. She’s since launched the Malala Fund to support girls’ education worldwide.

Obama said she also owes her life’s accomplishments to her education. She credits meeting Yousafzai as an inspiration for her dedication to ensuring girls can learn. Obama has used her platform to stand up for education through various initiatives, including the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act 2010 and the Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance.

Mondol is a beneficiary of Her Future Coalition, an organization supported by the Girls Opportunity Alliance. She asked Yousafzai to speak about how she kept studying despite the adversity she’s faced.

“Being a student and an activist is a lot of pressure and it is discouraging sometimes,” said Yousafzai, who recently graduated from Oxford University. “But, for me, there is no other option. I can’t pursue my own education while millions of girls are denied the same opportunity.”

She’s hopeful knowing that other young people are also trying to better themselves and help create a brighter future.