Five years ago today, October 9, she was shot in the head by a Taliban militant while taking the school bus.

Targeted by fanatics because she campaigned for the rights of girls to get an education, Malala Yousafzai came close to dying. But today, October 9, she attended her first lecture at Oxford University.

And she still campaigns for education rights, only this time she has a Nobel peace prize to her name, reports the Metro.

The 20-year-old tweeted a photo of three philosophy books on Monday as she went to her first lecture in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, or PPE – a course studied by many world leaders.

She wrote, ‘5 years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls’ education. Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford.’

Thousands of well-wishers responded with messages of congratulations and the post was liked more than 150,000 times within hours.

Her brother, Khushal Yousafzai, tweeted in reply: ‘Sorry for being a headache for the last 5years. So grateful you are still with us. Ik (I know) you miss me but I am coming to oxford in 2years.’

She did not reveal her grades but earlier this year she told a conference she had received an offer, which was conditional on achieving three As at A-level.

Her career as an activist began in early 2009, when she started writing a blog for the BBC about her life under Taliban occupation and promoting education for girls in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.

She narrowly avoided death on October 9 2012 after being shot in the head for her outspoken campaigning over girls’ rights to an education.

Fearing reprisals in her native country, she made Birmingham her home after she was treated at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. In 2014 she became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and her campaign for children’s rights to education across the world has seen her addressing the United Nations on the issue.