The challenges of Girls’ education in Afghanistan

Afghan girls lack support and there are many restrictions for them. Young girls don’t have access to basic rights, especially in educating themselves. Of course, all these burdens cause them mental health problems meanwhile support of United Nations could be helpful by managing online classes for study, providing scholarships, even taking bigger steps like negotiating with Taliban in order to start physical attendance of girls in schools and universities. 

Additionally, most of the women and girls are suffering from gender-based discrimination and violence. That happens when there is a lack of knowledge about respecting women and accepting their decision inside a society. It’s concerning that our future generations will have illiterate mothers who can’t teach their children even basic knowledge. That is where a chain of illiteracy will be created.

 Furthermore, child marriage and poverty are two other main challenges young girls and women in Afghanistan encounter. As there is lack of knowledge and money for supporting their daughter’s education in most of the families, it leads their daughters to a compulsory marriage which can stop young girls from continuing education. 

 The education system in Afghanistan has been under attack through decades. Most of the times students were targets of bomb attacks, or other violence that put teachers and students in danger. All of these reasons caused today’s backward education system. The United Nations and other organizations can help by training more skillful teachers by organizing online study programs and scholarships.

As a clear example, most of the families prioritize their son’s education and needs before their daughter’s, and only support them financially to study. This gender-based discrimination, having no support from government and sometimes family can cause mental damage for girls. Let’s inform more girls and families about their rights.

Introduction:

This policy brief is based on findings from Afghans for Progressive Thinking’s (APT) organization leadership program. The 2023 cohort of participants discussed women’s rights and specific challenges in their access to education in today’s Afghan society. This paper proposes solutions to overcome these challenges and what should be the role of the United Nation (UN) in helping girls continue their education.

Context of the problem:

In a country where nearly half of the population is under the age of 15, education should be a top priority for the government, the UN and other organizations. For girls, the situation is particularly urgent. It is obvious that education is one of every child’s fundamental rights, but the Afghan government does not pay attention to that because The Taliban policy for education was directed through the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the existing formal education system was dismantled in favor of madrasas (religious schools). In Afghanistan, women’s roles and levels of control over their lives are determined by patriarchal familial traditions. Along with the cultural and social barriers, Taliban issues and insecurity complicates the situation for girls.  

Most young girls have been out of school since August 2021 when the hardline Islamist movement seized the country. The Ministry of Education has said that girls above grade 6 – aged about 13 years and up – would not be allowed to attend high school.[1] Several Taliban officials say the secondary education ban is only temporary, but there are plenty of excuses for continued closure, from lack of funds to time needed to remodel the syllabus along Islamic lines. After one year, on 20 December 2022, Taliban banned Afghan girls from attending university too, without any further reason, and as students were giving final exams. On 12 February 2023, Afghanistan Medical Council (AMC) and the National Examination Authority (NEA) have postponed exit exam for female medical graduates while setting the exam date for male graduates on February 18.[2] This is the first time that the exam is being taken since the Taliban recaptured Afghanistan, and medical graduates cannot acquire work permits without passing the AMC’s exit exam.  As a medical student I have lost my hope for my future, I completed 12 years of my high school and 6 years of my medicine faculty with the highest grades in all of my classes but now at the last semester with all of my dreams I’m not allowed to go for further studies.

According to the  United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund(UNICEF), School attendance increased rapidly when the ban on girl education ended in 2001 after U.S-led forces ousted the previous Taliban regime. More than 3, 6 million girls were enrolled by 2018 – more than 2,5 million in primary school and over 1 million in secondary.[3] The increase in girls in secondary education was particularly significant, with nearly 40% enrolled in 2018 compared with 6% in 2003. The number going to University also increased, with tens of thousands attending. In 2015, Kabul University even launched a master’s degree in gender and women’s studies. When Taliban again seized the country, all these improvements stopped, and levels of education fell back to those of 2001 Afghanistan. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than a million of Afghan people suffer from depressive disorder and violence against women is widespread.[4] Based on the health official estimates, 80% of suicide attempts in Afghanistan are made by women and it could be even higher especially in the Farah province.

Investing in girls’ education transforms communities, countries and the entire world. Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. They earn higher incomes, participate in the decisions that most affect them, and build better futures for themselves and their families. Girls’ education strengthens economy and reduces inequality. Gender equality in education systems empower girls and boys and promote the development of life skills like self- management, communication, negotiation, and critical thinking that young people need to succeed. Education also helps to close the skills gaps that perpetuate pay gaps, and build prosperity for entire countries. Leaders must fulfill their promises on the Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5, by ensuring all girls can access quality, inclusive education – and achieving gender equality.

There are some alternative policies that would be beneficial for girl’s education. The first and the most important is that the United Nations should put pressure on the Taliban government to open doors of schools and universities to girls as soon as possible. If the United Nations threatens to withdraw humanitarian aid and support the Taliban might not have any other choice other than opening the doors of education to girls.

More realistically, online education like hybrid learning is another alternative. The United Nations and other countries who support Afghan girl’s education can reinforce education by making available online education spaces and providing scholarships for girls to study abroad.

 Recommendations:

1. Political pressure for schools to re-open to girls. .

 Women in Afghanistan are disproportionately impacted by the current conflict and legacy of past conflicts. What we are witnessing today in Afghanistan is that everyone in the country is affected by the current crises, but the situation for women’s and girls’ is particularly concerning as their rights and access to opportunities have become increasingly challenged.

When the Taliban were last in power in the 1990s, most of the Taliban did not support women’s and girls’ education and ignored their role in society.

Since the new takeover of Taliban in August 2022, policies towards women are much the same. They banned school for girls over class six and suspended university education for women in December 2022, which affected more than 100,000 women who were attending government and private institutions.

Educating women and girls is a need of every society to develop. We call on international organizations and United nation to support and stand by Afghan women and put pressure on Taliban for providing immediate  access of women’s education and opening of schools, doing diplomatic negotiation by   (prepare them for discussion, clarify the goals for ad great outcome, having and agreement and implement a course of action), doing advocacy complain through social media, work for freedom of voice and media, leveraging  international aid because “everyone has the right to education”.

2. Addressing and raising awareness of gender based discrimination and violence.

Women and girls are Important parts of a society, they should have active and equal participation like men in all public and private decision making, work opportunities, education, politics, and economics.

According to the World Health Organization, one third of women globally experience violence at least once in their lifetime, which is a huge amount and violence can seriously inhibit women’s ability to enjoy rights and freedoms on a basis of equality with men. For Afghan women and girls, it’s been more than 3 decades of gender inequality and violence, especially under the Taliban government. As violence prevents women’s and girls from attending school, university and work, the percentage of women’s who work is dropping, with concerning impact not just on their families but also on the country’s economy.

The United Nations should work with Afghans to make policies which are against discrimination and violence in Afghan and help Afghan women’s and girls’ by providing accessible information about gender based violence: this might include providing websites, working on social media campaigns, creating TV spots or making information available in youth centers and schools, training professionals to be able to identify, address and respond to gender based violence, provide empowerment programs which helps to strength those section of the population which are more likely to be at risk of violence.    

3. Stop child marriage for Afghan girls

To ensure access to quality education for girls in Afghanistan, it is essential to enact and eforce laws and policies while implementing targeted initiatives. Strengthening the enforcement of laws that prohibit child marriage and upholding the legal age for marriage will protect girls from early unions and allow them to pursue education.

However, the Taliban’s policies on girls’ education in Afghanistan have posed significant challenges. Restrictions on access, including the closure of schools in certain areas, have disrupted the education system and limited girls’ ability to attend school and continue their studies. Gender segregation enforced by the Taliban further hampers the quality of education for girls. Additionally, the shortage of female teachers, influenced by the Taliban’s cross discouragement or prohibition of teaching, creates an obstacle to girls’ education.

Despite these challenges, it is crucial to address the barriers faced by girls in accessing education. Developing inclusive policies that prioritize girls’ education, allocating resources for schools, and enhancing teacher training programs are essential steps. Adequate school infrastructure and partnerships with local communities and organizations can help promote support for girls’ education. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms should be established to assess progress and identify areas for improvement.

By enacting and enforcing supportive laws, implementing targeted initiatives, and addressing the specific challenges posed by the Taliban’s policies, Afghanistan can make significant strides in ensuring that every girl has the opportunity to receive a quality education and unlock her full potential.

4. Increase the number of people who have capacity and relevant skills to create a standard education system.

The education system in Afghanistan has undergone significant changes in recent years, particularly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Prior to this, the education system in Afghanistan was severely damaged by years of devastated conflict and had a low enrollment rate, especially for girls.

Since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the Afghan government has made efforts to rebuild and improve the education system in the country. As a result, the enrollment rate in Afghanistan has significantly increased, with over 9 million children were enrolled in schools. However, after the return of the Taliban, challenges still remain as well as ongoing security issues and policies of Taliban about girl’s education.

The country is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with a big risk of systemic collapse, especially the education system has hit hard and the right to education for Afghan children and youth is at risk.

A strong education system is the key to get more children in school, and help them to have healthy relationships and to be responsible citizens. In this conflict situation we want the United Nations and national organizations to support the education system in Afghanistan, working with the Ministry of Education to build a better system compliant with international standards, increase teacher’s capacities and provide training on online schooling, professional standards in teaching, improved learning methods and adaptability to conflict

 Importantly, the education offer needs to be available in rural areas all across the territory.

Conclusion:

 We observed that security and economic problems that our country encountered for several years affected today’s education system. International organizations and the UN system’s help can have a lot of impact on making the situation tolerable.