India's Razia Sultana gets UN education award on Malala Day

Razia Sultana, a teenager from a village in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, was awarded the United Nations' Special Envoy for Global Education's Youth Courage Award for Education on Friday. The award is in recognition of her efforts to help liberate 48 children from child labour bondage and motivate them to go to school. On Friday, the world learnt about Razia's struggle and courage as she recounted her tale to youth delegates from across the world in New York.

The day, too, has a special significance — it is observed by the UN as Malala Day to highlight and emulate Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai's fight for education. Malala turned 16 on Friday. Razia, named after India's first woman ruler, too, has been fighting an uphill battle at her Nanglakhumba village in Meerut. School education for this class XII student would have remained a distant dream since she had begun working to help her family when she was only five. Most households in Nanglakhumba village, where inhabitants are predominantly Muslims, eke out a living by stitching footballs. Malala, eldest of two sisters and two brothers, too, stitched footballs with rest of her family members to supplement her factory worker father's meagre income. "Education was considered an unnecessary distraction that hurt the family's income," said Sher Khan, a Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) activist from a neighbouring village. In 2005, BBA activists initiated a programme to make the village child-friendly. "We would visit the villages and explain the importance of education and rights of a child," said Rakesh Senger of the BBA. But, they met with huge protests. Parents refused to allow the children to give up football stitching and go to school instead. It was more difficult to convince parents about girls' education. Razia's father, who is now proud of his daughter, had also refused to send her to school on the same plea. Gradually, with dogged determination and explaining the importance of education, some children could be weaned away from labouring away at football stitching. It took Razia two years to break the shackles of child labour. Later, a bal panchayat was formed in the village and Razia was elected its head. She went on to become a leader of the National Children's Parliament. Little Razia began campaigning in the village for children's education and their rights. A flurry of complaints by villagers to her father followed. Villagers complained that Razia was a bad influence on their children. But, the teenager was undeterred. "We were surprised by her indomitable spirit at such a young age," said Khan. Her village had no toilets or water pumps. The school building was in shambles. When Razia was elected a panchayat head, she took up such problems with the village panchayat. They could not ignore her for long. Razia wants to continue studying and fight for children's education. The UN award has lifted her spirits and boosted her confidence.