Farid Ullah Khan: Broken Walls, Unbroken Spirit: The fight for Girls' Education in Conflict
This image powerfully captures the resilience of girls' education in conflict zones, symbolized by a young girl sitting amidst the ruins of a bombed-out school. Despite the destruction around her—broken walls, shattered windows, and the menacing presence of armed forces—her focus remains on her books, a potent metaphor for the persistence of education even in the most challenging environments. The Kingdon-Khan Model (KKM), proposed in my research, explains how critical issues, such as girls' education, gain attention and rise on the policy agenda. KKM consists of four streams: the Problem Stream (such as the challenge of girls' education in conflict zones), the Policy Stream (efforts to propose viable solutions), the Political Stream (political actors pushing for reform), and the Social Stream (advocacy and public opinion). Social media plays a pivotal role in the Social Stream, amplifying voices like Malala Yousafzai, a young activist for girls' education from Pakistan. She was shot in the head by militants and later won the Nobel Prize in 2014, driving global awareness and action. The contrast between the rifle and the books underscores the tension between conflict and education, emphasizing why girls' education must remain a priority—because no bullet can break the spirit of learning.