The 15-year-old became an international symbol of courage after she was shot by Taliban gunmen last fall for her crusade about girls going to school.

CNN: Malala's recovery crosses key threshold

Circles of people would fall back at the waist while a man in the centre shot an invisible machine gun.

BBC: A little liquid courage in Cali, Colombia

Pakistani officials thought that they had largely neutralized Mr. Fazlullah's threat until last fall, when some of his men crossed into Pakistan, stopped a school bus in Swat and shot Ms. Yousafzai in the head.

WSJ: Role Reversal: Pakistan Fears

Last fall, the Department of Education attempted to change the admissions process so the highest-scoring children would have the best shot at one of the limited seats.

WSJ: Lawsuit Claims New York City's Gifted-and-Talented Selection Process Is Flawed