#aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dejh ,,an ,,act ,to expand the number of scholarships available to ,pakistani women under the ,merit and ,needs-,based ,scholarship ,program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,malala ,yousafzai ,scholarship ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,in late #bjjh1 ,malala ,yousafzai began making the case for access to education for women and girls despite objections from the ,pakistani ,taliban4 ,on ,october #i1 #bjab1 ,malala was shot in the head by ,pakistani ,taliban on her way home from school4 7#b7 ,in #bjac1 ,malala ,yousafzai and her father ,ziauddin ,yousafzai co-founded the ,malala ,fund4 ,the ,malala ,fund works to secure #ab years of free1 safe1 and quality education for all girls4 ,completion of a full #ab-year cycle of primary and secondary education ensures a pipeline of girls able to pursue higher education4 7#c7 ,on ,july #ab1 #bjac1 ,malala delivered a speech before the ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly calling for expanded access to education for women and girls across the globe4 ,she said1 ,let us wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy1 poverty1 and terrorism4 ,let us pick up our books and our pens4 ,they are the most powerful weapons 99 99 994 ,education is the only solution44 7#d7 ,on ,october #aj1 #bjad1 ,malala ,yousafzai became the co-recipient of the ,nobel ,peace ,prize for her struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education4 7#e7 ,according to the ,united ,nations #bjaf ,global ,education ,monitoring ,report1 more than #acj million girls worldwide are out of school4 #ae million girls of primary-school age will never enter a classroom4 ,as of #bjaf1 at least #ejj million adult women across the globe are illiterate4 7#f7 ,according to the ,world ,bank1 ,girls' education is a strategic development priority4 ,better educated women tend to be healthier1 participate more in the formal labor market1 earn higher incomes1 99 99 99 marry at a later age1 and enable better health care and education for their children1 should they choose to become mothers4 ,all these factors combined can help lift households1 communities1 and nations out of poverty44 7#g7 ,in #bjae1 all ,united ,nations ,member ,states1 including the ,united ,states1 adopted quality education1 including access to higher education1 and gender equality as sustainable development goals to be attained by #bjcj4 ,one of the education goal targets is to ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical1 vocational and tertiary education1 including university4 7#h7 ,in ,january #bjaj1 ,secretary of ,state ,hillary ,rodham ,clinton stated1 ,we will open the doors of education to all citizens1 but especially to girls and women 99 99 994 ,we are doing all of these things because we have seen that when women and girls have the tools to stay healthy and the opportunity to contribute to their families well-being1 they flourish and so do the people around them4 7#i7 ,in ,february #bjai1 the ,white ,house launched the ,women's ,global ,development and ,prosperity ,initiative to advance women's economic empowerment across the globe and reach more than #ajj1jjj women4 7#aj7 ,the ,world ,economic ,forum ranks ,pakistan the second lowest among all countries in the world evaluated for gender equality4 ,on educational attainment for women1 ,pakistan is ranked the tenth lowest4 7#aa7 ,in ,pakistan1 the rate of higher education enrollment beyond high school for girls and women is just #i percent as reported by the ,world ,bank4 ,the global rate is #dj percent4 ,less than #f percent of women #be and older in ,pakistan attain a bachelor's degree or equivalent as of #bjaf4 7#ab7 ,factors such as poverty1 early marriage1 disability1 ethnicity1 and religion can contribute to the lack of educational opportunities for women in marginalized communities4 7#ac7 ,according to the ,world ,bank1 ,higher education benefits both individuals and society4 ,economic returns for college graduates are the highest in the entire educational system--an average #ag percent increase in earnings per year of schooling as compared with #aj percent for primary school44 7#ad7 ,the ,united ,states provides critical foreign assistance to ,pakistan's education sector to improve access to and the quality of basic and higher education4 ,since #bjaj1 the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7referred to in this ,act as ,,usaid7 has awarded more than #f1jjj scholarships for young women to receive higher education in ,pakistan4 7#ae7 ,the ,merit and ,needs-,based ,scholarship ,program administered by ,,usaid awards scholarships to academically talented1 financially needy ,pakistani students from all regions1 including female students from rural areas of the country1 to pursue bachelor's or master's degrees at participating ,pakistani universities4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress 7a7 ,in general ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 every individual should have the opportunity to pursue a full cycle of primary1 secondary1 and higher education2 7#b7 every individual1 regardless of gender1 socio-economic status1 ethnicity1 or religion should have the opportunity to pursue an education without fear of discrimination2 7#c7 educational exchanges promote institutional linkages between the ,united ,states and ,pakistan2 and 7#d7 recipients of scholarships referred to in section #d should commit to improving their local communities4 7b7 ,continued ,support for ,educational ,initiatives in ,pakistan ,congress encourages the ,department of ,state and ,,usaid to continue their support for initiatives led by the ,government of ,pakistan and civil society that promote education in ,pakistan1 especially education for women1 in accordance with ,,usaid's #bjah ,education ,policy4 #d4 ,merit and ,needs-,based ,scholarship ,program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,,usaid ,administrator shall award at least #ej percent of the number of scholarships under the ,merit and ,needs-,based ,scholarship ,program 7referred to in this ,act as the ,program7 to women for each of the calendar years #bjbj through #bjbb4 7b7 ,limitations 7#a7 ,criteria ,the scholarships available under subsection 7a7 may only be awarded in accordance with other scholarship eligibility criteria already established by ,,usaid4 7#b7 ,academic disciplines ,scholarships authorized under subsection 7a7 shall be awarded for a range of disciplines to improve the employability of graduates and to meet the needs of the scholarship recipients4 7#c7 ,other scholarships ,the ,,usaid ,administrator shall make every effort to award #ej percent of the scholarships available under the ,program to ,pakistani women4 7c7 ,leveraging investment ,the ,,usaid ,administrator shall1 to the greatest extent practicable1 consult with and leverage investments by the ,pakistani private sector and ,pakistani diaspora communities in the ,united ,states as part of ,,usaid's greater effort to improve the quality of1 expand access to1 and ensure sustainability of education programs in ,pakistan4 #e4 ,annual congressional briefing 7a7 ,in general ,the ,,usaid ,administrator shall designate appropriate ,,usaid officials to brief the appropriate congressional committees1 not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter for the next #c years1 on the implementation of section #d4 7b7 ,contents ,the briefing described in subsection 7a7 shall include1 among other relevant information1 for the most recently concluded fiscal year-- 7#a7 the total number of scholarships that were awarded through the ,program1 including a breakdown by gender2 7#b7 the disciplines of study chosen by the scholarship recipients2 7#c7 the percentage of the scholarships that were awarded to students seeking a bachelor's degree or a master's degree1 respectively2 7#d7 the percentage of scholarship recipients who voluntarily dropped out of school or were involuntarily pushed out of the program for failure to meet program requirements2 and 7#e7 the percentage of scholarship recipients who dropped out of school due to retaliation for seeking an education1 to the extent that such information is available4 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,march #c1 #bjbj4;,clerk4