Issue 28 • January 2015 • Record of Michaelmas Term 2014
THE
OCELLUS From the Headmaster
Towards the end of 2014, Malala Yousafzai became the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. The citation on her award spoke of her struggle for the right of all children to an education. It is something we can take for granted, even to the extent that some children in this country squander the opportunity. They long to free themselves, as they see it, from the shackles of education. But in countries where it is denied, or is a scarce commodity, children understand its value, and they long for the opportunity to study, to advance their learning, as a form of liberation. We read of street children in India who dream of being able to become doctors and lawyers; children who never see the inside of a classroom because they are forced to work from infancy; children in parts of Africa who will walk miles and miles each day to get to the nearest school. Malala reminds us that there are some people who would deny the opportunity of an education to others because they think that, by doing so, they can keep them subjugated. This should cause us to think about what education brings and why it is so important. It is partly a preparation for work, of course; gaining the knowledge and learning the skills required to follow a certain career. That, in itself, has great value. Having work allows people to be more secure, to own homes and to raise families. But education is much more than that, as Malala Yousafzai knows only too well. It is a form of liberation. It frees people from life’s routines and allows them to read and to travel, and to understand the world’s variety. It allows their imagination to soar, and unfetters their hopes. It equips them to ask questions of those in power, and to demand what is fair and just. Malala receiving the Nobel Peace Prize emphasizes that education is indeed part of the road to peace. There will be no lasting peace in a world where huge numbers of people are subjugated by ignorance, and by the want of their own chance to flourish. Front Page Photo: Ice-skating at the CPA Christmas Fayre.
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