Five years after the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan remains the only country barring girls from secondary school. Its crisis is extreme, but no society has finished the job. UNICEF estimates that one in five girls worldwide is married before 18, and that more than 12 million are married every year, roughly one every three seconds. That…
Shanta Toofani (1929-2011) was an unusual social worker, activist and educator. She completed her schooling at the age of 34, while running a household single-handedly and bringing up seven children. Having educated herself despite all odds, she was committed to educating others, with fierce love. For several decades this tiny woman stood tall, teaching children…
There is a particular kind of anger that does not consume the person who holds it. It sharpens them instead. Kailash Satyarthi has carried that anger ever since. It is the same year he walked away from a promising career as an electrical engineer. He surrendered a steady salary and decided his life belonged to…
In Ludhiana, a proposal to convert school-reserved land in Rajguru Nagar into residential housing has sparked objections from civic groups and residents, citing planning laws and Right to Education (Article 21A). Critics warn that repurposing public-purpose land undermines urban governance, educational access, and sets a dangerous precedent for future development A growing urban planning dispute…
