Afghanistan: Girls want to learn despite school ban

 

At the end of August, UN Women published the results of a survey conducted in Afghanistan.

The UN body, which was founded in 2010 and is dedicated to promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls, conducted a nationwide door-to-door survey of over 2,000 Afghans.

One of the questions was about girls' education. Over 92% of those surveyed said it was "important" for girls to continue their schooling. In rural areas, 87% of men and 95% of women said this, whereas in urban areas, 95% of both men and women did.

"This is almost always the first thing girls tell us," said UN Women's Special Representative in Afghanistan Susan Ferguson. "They are desperate to learn and just want the chance to gain an education."

Afghan girls banned from school after 12

Since 2021, when the Taliban regained power, Afghanistan has been the only country in the world where girls are forbidden from attending school after the age of 12. The Islamist militant group immediately banned secondary education for girls. They later excluded women from higher education.

An estimated 1 million girls faced closed doors at secondary schools on September 17, 2021, the first day of school after the Taliban returned to power. Many of them were shocked and cried.

According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at least 1.4 million girls have been "deliberately deprived" of schooling. This number is likely to rise considering that around 40% of Afghanistan's population is under the age of 15 and the average age in the country is about 17.

Taliban force their own interpretation of Islam on Afghans

The Taliban claims that education for girls and women does not align with Islamic principles and Afghan culture. They have not changed their stance despite constant, significant criticism from abroad.

Since 2021, they have imposed a series of other bans dramatically reducing the rights and freedom of movement of girls and women, who have been excluded from the labor market and pushed out of public life in Afghanistan.

Former Afghan Deputy Education Minister Sardar Mohammad Rahimi, who has lived in France since the Taliban's return and teaches at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris, told DW that it was not surprising that the population disagreed with the Taliban regarding education.

"All the surveys conducted before the Taliban took power showed that across Afghanistan, particularly women and girls were interested in education and that their families wanted educational centers to be set up in their regions," he said.

"The Taliban constantly try to impose their own interpretation of Sharia [Islamic law] on the Afghan people and the international community, claiming that it is part of Afghan culture. But in fact, it is the job of a government to encourage people to learn," Rahimi continued.

He said that the Taliban do not want to accept that Afghans want to adopt a different lifestyle. "In the name of Sharia, those in power are forcing on the Afghan people a political project and strict religious program that has nothing to do with social realities in Afghanistan."

Malala Fund campaigns for girls' education

Despite the ban on schooling, many families continue to educate girls, either by sending them to secret schools or using online courses or radio programs. NGOs in and outside of Afghanistan, such as the Malala Fund, provide vital support.

The Malala Fund was co-founded by the Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was 15 when a Taliban gunman shot her as she campaigned for the right to education in 2012.

After recovering from the attack, which she only narrowly survived, she became a more prominent campaigner for education. Today, she frequently addresses the UN and other international forums, calling for political pressure against the Taliban.

The Malala Fund's goal is to ensure that every girl has 12 years of free, safe and quality education. It works with various partners to develop visual content that supports the education of Afghan girls and focuses on their stories.

Hundreds of thousands of girls in Afghanistan have taken advantage of this content since the Taliban regained power.

Shakila Ebrahimkhil contributed to this article, which was translated from German.

- DW