News Digest

Michelle Obama speaks out: Are daughters as worthy of schooling as sons?

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday called on the world to fund and promote societal change to support girls’ education. Speaking at the 2015 World Innovation Summit for Education in Doha, Qatar, Mrs Obama said more needed to be done to ensure girls knew their bodies “are a source of pride, not pain or shame”. She said: “Solving our girls’ education is definitely about resources, but it is also about attitudes and beliefs. It’s about whether parents think their daughters are as worthy of an education as their sons.”

In this region, we are not only paralyzed, but going backwards at the speed of light.

Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned

Mrs Obama’s speech comes as part of her Let Girls Learn initiative. The program encourages world leaders to provide education opportunities to an estimated 62 million girls globally who do not attend school. Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, former Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani’s most high-profile wife, opened Tuesday’s event by warning about the educational challenges the Mideast faces amid wars and societal challenges. Mrs Obama is on a two-nation visit to the Mideast this week. On Tuesday, she met Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and visited U.S. military personnel at the vast al-Udeid air base with comedian Conan O'Brien. She will travel to Jordan next.