Pakistan: School named after activist Malala upgraded

Karachi: A girls school in Karachi named after Malala Yousufzai has been upgraded to higher secondary and its students collected Rs 50,000 to be sent to the parents of the teenage rights activist for her treatment. The Malala Yousufzai Government Girls Secondary School on Mission Road was upgraded to higher secondary on Saturday, Dawn news reported.

The school was renamed after 14-year-old Malala in July when she attended the school's inauguration. The announcement was made by Sindh Minister for Education and Literacy Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq at a gathering held at the school where students prayed for Malala's early recovery. Similar gatherings were held across the province.

The students of the school collected Rs 50,000 through their own contributions to be sent to Malala's family for her treatment. They also vowed to study as much as they could to continue her mission. Malala was shot in the head and neck during the Taliban attack on her and two of her school friends on Tuesday.

The school was renamed after 14-year-old Malala in July when she attended the school\'s inauguration.

Malala has been on ventilator since she was shifted from Peshawar to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi on Thursday after doctors removed a bullet lodged near her backbone. She is still on ventilator in the hospital and making "slow and steady" progress.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack on Malala, saying she was targeted for espousing Western ideals and secularism.

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