One of the biggest development issues in the world is the

Hear the words of Harri Holkeri, who declared with vision and urgency: “One of the biggest development issues in the world is the education of girls. In the United States and Europe, it has been accepted, but not in Africa and the developing countries.” This is not merely a statement of fact, but a cry for justice. For in these words lies the recognition that without the minds of women, half of humanity remains chained, and where half of humanity is bound, the whole cannot rise.

The ancients knew that education is the seed from which every harvest of progress springs. Socrates taught that the mind must be questioned, sharpened, and awakened, for only through knowledge could a citizen become free. Yet for centuries, societies have denied this awakening to women, keeping their minds in darkness, even while their hearts bore the burdens of family and community. Holkeri’s words pierce this injustice, reminding us that where girls are uneducated, nations remain impoverished—not only in wealth, but in wisdom.

Consider the story of Malala Yousafzai, a girl from Pakistan who defied oppression by daring to seek an education. She was targeted and wounded for her courage, yet her voice rose louder than any bullet could silence. She became a beacon for millions, proving that when one girl is taught, the world is changed. Malala’s story is but one among countless others across Africa, Asia, and beyond—voices rising from shadows, pleading not for privilege but for the simple dignity of learning.

History, too, offers its testimony. In the United States and Europe, when women were finally allowed into universities, the fruits were swift and abundant. Marie Curie, once a girl denied opportunity, went on to win two Nobel Prizes and changed science forever. Her life stands as proof that the potential of women is as vast as that of men, and that to deny girls education is to rob humanity of discoveries, inventions, and solutions that could transform the world.

The meaning of Holkeri’s statement is clear: the education of girls is not a secondary issue, but the heart of development itself. Roads and factories may be built, but if the minds of women remain untrained, true progress falters. Educated women uplift entire communities: they reduce poverty, improve health, guide families, and lead nations. To deny them learning is to cut off the roots of prosperity.

And yet, he also warns that in much of the world this truth is not yet accepted. Old traditions, unjust customs, and the weight of poverty conspire to keep girls from classrooms. It is a barrier of both culture and circumstance, one that must be broken if humanity is to move forward. His words call us to act—not only to honor education where it is already established, but to fight for it where it is still denied.

The lesson for us, O listeners of the future, is this: do not take your own education for granted, and do not rest content while others are deprived of it. If you are a parent, fight for your daughters as fiercely as for your sons. If you are a leader, make laws that open doors rather than close them. If you are a teacher, remember that every girl before you may hold the future of a nation in her hands. And if you are a citizen of the world, support those who carry this work into places of darkness.

Thus let Holkeri’s words be inscribed upon the heart: the education of girls is the education of humanity itself. To uplift one girl is to uplift a family. To uplift a generation of girls is to uplift the world. Let no child be denied the light of knowledge, for in that light lies freedom, justice, and the very survival of our future.