In Western society, education is often taken for granted. School is part of growing up. Kids look forward to socializing with friends, and taking advantage of a myriad of educational opportunities and extracurricular activities. Buildings are spacious, have running water, windows, heating, and safety features. Classrooms are equipped with the latest technology. Girls and boys have the equal right to learn. After elementary and high school, a college education or trade schools are viable options.
It’s something that most parents in the West don’t think about as they wave goodbye to their children riding that yellow school bus in the mornings.
But in Afghanistan, this is another matter entirely.
Infrastructure to support schools is severely lacking, especially in remote parts of the country. Some schools have been heavily damaged by the ongoing conflict in the country or terrorist attacks. There aren’t enough resources to refurbish damaged schools. Children attend classes in unsafe and often unsanitary conditions. Enrolment is low because schools are fewer, there isn’t reliable transportation, and children are less likely to walk long distances. Rural teachers are less qualified, often having the equivalent of an associate’s degree. By contrast, school districts in the United States generally require K-12 teachers to obtain master’s degrees.
In March 2022, the Taliban declared Afghan girls were no longer permitted to attend school past the sixth grade. Initially, they claimed this ban was only until conditions improved to maintain girls’ safety. So far, there’s no evidence that girls and young women will be allowed to return to secondary school or university. In all cases and according to UNICEF, only sixteen percent of Afghan schools are able to offer education to girls, and these schools all lack sanitation facilities. There are also fewer female teachers. Combined with the terrible living conditions and poverty forcing girls into early marriage, this means over half the Afghan population will be academically stunted, intellectually stifled, and illiterate within a few years.
Girls are not forbidden to attend a madrassa, or an Islamic religious school. But, this kind of education only helps girls study the Quran. Also, madrassas in Afghanistan provide teachings according to Taliban interpretations, which most Islamic scholars agree are archaic and distorted. These are not schools offering the sort of education Afghan boys and girls deserve to receive.
Afghanistan is the only country in the world prohibiting girls and young women from attending secondary school and university. Every other Muslim country encourages education for girls and young women to become doctors, accountants, lawyers, economists – whatever career they choose.
The ban on education for Afghan girls beyond the sixth grade is a human rights violation, and a tragic, economic, social and political disaster. It leaves Afghanistan further impoverished, disempowered, and socially crippled. There will be fewer doctors to treat the sick, teachers to educate a new generation of students, entrepreneurs to cultivate trade and business, and lawyers to defend the innocent.
Before August 2021 in Afghanistan, girls accounted for four out of ten students. 100,000 young women attended university. Now, eighty percent of females are out of school.
Despite limitations thrust upon Afghan girls and young women, there are ways those with an internet connection can learn. Online schools offer a free education and hope for Afghan girls to continue on to secondary school. Some colleges and universities offer scholarships for online degrees. But, these opportunities come with immense challenges. Many Afghan households lack electricity and internet. And as the pandemic proved, online learning is no substitute for classroom instruction. It doesn’t offer the kind of in-person interaction that is instrumental for the mental wellbeing and social development of students.
There are glimmers of hope. Some Afghan religious scholars have criticized the ban on educating women, with one publicly declaring that women have the right to an education under Islam. A Twitter hashtag, #LetAfghanGirlsLearn, attracted worldwide support. UNESCO is demanding immediate and non-negotiable access to education for all school-age females in Afghanistan, stating, “Everyone has the right to education. Everybody. But in Afghanistan, girls and women have been deprived of this fundamental right.” Putting an end to the Taliban’s ban on education for girls and young women in Afghanistan won’t be easy, but with persistence and enough pressure from the international community, it is possible.
Blog written by Gretchen Weerheim, Women for Afghan Women
Photo caption: Young girl in class at one of WAW’s Children’s Support Centers before 2021. Photo courtesy of WAW staff.