• Pakistani girls endeavor for education

    All photos by Nathalie Bardou / AP

    Pakistani schoolgirl Nisha Nadeem, six, center, attends class in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 11, 2012.

    Nathalie Bardou, AP — A teenage activist recently shot and critically wounded by the Taliban risked her life to attend school, but the threat from the militant group is just one of many obstacles Pakistani girls face in getting an education. Others include rampant poverty, harassment and the government's failure to prioritize education spending.

    Afghan refugee and Pakistani children, who were displaced with their families from Pakistan's tribal areas due to fighting between militants and the army, are examined by their teacher during their daily class to learn how to recite verses of the holy Quran, in a mosque, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 17.

    A displaced Pakistani student, seen through the window of school's classroom, sits on a bed during a break in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 19.

    Displaced Pakistani students chant a song with their teacher, not pictured, during school in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 19.

    Displaced Pakistani schoolgirls play in their school yard in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 19.

    A Pakistani protestor holds a candle and a poster that reads: "Are you with us or the Taliban? Long live Malala Yousufzai" and shows 15-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who was shot by the Taliban for speaking out in support of education for women, during a candlelight vigil in Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 11, 2012. Yousufzai risked her life to attend school.

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