AFP, OSLO: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai yesterday urged world leaders to cut "eight days of military spending" to give all children access to 12 years of free education.
About $39 billion would be needed each year to fund the schooling, according to an estimate from the laureate's non-profit group, the Malala Fund.
"It may appear as a huge number but the reality is it is not much at all," Malala said at a UN education summit in Oslo. "In fact, and unfortunately, $39 billion is spent on (the) military in only eight days," said the child activist, who turns 18 this week. In 2012, Malala survived after being shot in the head for her support of girls' schools in Pakistan.