Malala Elementary named after Nobel Peace Prize recipient opens in Fort Bend

HOUSTON – Malala Elementary students and staff were welcomed at their new school building on Jan. 7.

The construction of the Fort Bend County elementary school began in May 2018. The Malala students were rezoned from Oyster Creek and Seguin Elementary schools.

In December 2018, it was announced the district’s 51st elementary would be named after Malala Yousafzai.

Yousafzai made headlines in 2012 when she was targeted then shot by a member of the Taliban after speaking publicly on behalf of girls and their right to an education in Pakistan.

The following year, on her 16th birthday, Yousafzai delivered a speech at the United Nations calling for worldwide access to education.

“I am here to speak up for the right of education of every child,” Yousafzai said ahead of world leaders.

In 2014, Yousafzai and her father established the Malala Fund, a charity dedicated to improving girls’ education opportunities. That December, the advocate received the Nobel Peace Prize and became the youngest-ever Nobel laureate.

“Fort Bend ISD is proud to name Malala Yousafzai Elementary in honor of a true advocate for education. Our FBISD Profile of a Graduate outlines the skills and attributes graduates should possess upon graduation from our schools," said FBISD Superintendent of Schools Charles Dupre. "Through her compassion for others and servant leadership, Yousafzai is an embodiment of these characteristics, which we are trying to instill in our students. We look forward to hearing of the many successes of the school and its students in the future.”