Ruqayyah Snyder
The education system in Afghanistan has been devastated by over 40 years of conflict. The country has made significant progress in enrolment at all education levels, from around 1 million students in 2001 to around 10 million in 2018. However, the Taliban's takeover in August 2021 has threatened to undo many of these gains. The Taliban have banned girls from secondary education and prohibited women from attending university, denying access to education for more than 100,000 young women. The right to education for Afghan children, especially girls and women, is at stake.
The impact of the war on schools in Afghanistan has been far-reaching. The country already faced challenges due to recurrent natural disasters, chronic poverty, drought, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Taliban's policies have exacerbated these issues, with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis looming. The education system has been particularly affected, with schools and universities closing, and teachers losing their jobs.
The situation is even more dire for girls and women, who have been disproportionately affected by the Taliban's policies. Even before the Taliban takeover, there were concerns about access to education for females, with a lack of qualified female teachers in rural schools and conservative social norms discouraging girls from attending school. The Taliban's ban on girls' education has only worsened the situation, with 1.1 million secondary school girls being prevented from attending school.
The future of education in Afghanistan remains uncertain. The international community has condemned the Taliban's actions and called for the rehiring of female teachers and the inclusion of a quality education curriculum. However, the impact of the war on schools in Afghanistan has been profound, and it remains to be seen how the country will recover from these losses.
What You'll Learn
The ban on girls' education
The Taliban's ban on girls' education is not a new phenomenon. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s, they also banned girls from attending school.
In March 2022, the Taliban barred girls from receiving a secondary education, and in December 2022, they extended the ban to include women, preventing them from pursuing higher education at university. Afghanistan is now the only country in the world with restrictions on female education.
The Taliban's interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, is the reason given for the ban. However, this interpretation has been widely criticised and contradicts the views of clerics outside of Afghanistan, who argue that Islam places equal emphasis on the education of women and men.
The ban has had a profound impact on the mental health of Afghan women and girls. Those who have been unable to attend school have exhibited signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. One student from Kabul described the "sadness and despair" she felt when she was turned away from school at gunpoint.
The ban has also led to an increase in child marriages, as families marry off their teenage daughters, and a loss of opportunity for women to pursue careers in fields such as healthcare. It has also had a detrimental effect on the country's economy, with tens of thousands of female teachers losing their jobs, and a generation of children receiving no contemporary or secular education to improve their economic prospects.
The international community has responded to the ban with condemnation, and it remains the Taliban's biggest obstacle to gaining recognition as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. However, this has not been enough to make them change their minds.
Despite the ban, some provinces, including Balkh, Kunduz, Jowzjan, Sar-I-Pul, Faryab, and Day Kundi, continue to allow girls' schools to operate.
Deadly Afghanistan Earthquake: Counting the Human Toll
You may want to see also
The dismissal of female teachers
The absence of female teachers has also contributed to the elimination of certain subjects, such as arts, sports, English, and civic education, from the curriculum. The Taliban's educational policies have led to increased fears about attending school, declining attendance, and a loss of hope for the future among students. The dismissal of female teachers is part of the Taliban's broader efforts to exert social control and remake society at all levels, promoting their misogynistic views and restricting women's roles in public life.
A World Away: The Long Haul from Maine to Afghanistan
You may want to see also
Corporal punishment
Before the Taliban's first regime (1996-2001), corporal punishment was already a common practice in Afghanistan. During the Taliban's first regime, public corporal punishment and executions were carried out by officials against individuals convicted of crimes, often in large venues such as sports stadiums. These punishments included lashings and amputations.
Current State of Corporal Punishment in Schools
Despite efforts to ban corporal punishment in schools, it remains prevalent. A 2015 video of a teacher beating a student with prayer beads brought attention to the issue, but there has been little progress in enforcement.
The Taliban's return to power in 2021 has further exacerbated the problem. The Taliban have prohibited women from teaching boys, resulting in the loss of many professional teachers. Students report that unqualified male teachers have been hired as replacements, and in some cases, there are no teachers at all. This has led to a decline in educational quality and increased reliance on self-teaching.
Students also report a significant rise in corporal punishment since the Taliban's return. Beatings, slapping, foot whipping, and other forms of physical punishment are used as discipline, particularly during morning assemblies. The Taliban's strict rules, such as dress codes and restrictions on mobile phones, have added to the stressful and fearful environment in schools.
Impact on Students
The combination of the economic and humanitarian crises, low-quality education, Taliban restrictions, and a lack of motivation has led to a significant decline in school attendance by boys. Many families struggle to afford basic school supplies and transportation, and some boys have been forced to leave school to work or flee the country.
The situation has negatively impacted the mental health of students, with reports of increased anxiety, distress, and a lack of hope for the future.
International Response
The Taliban's policies on education, particularly the ban on girls' and women's access to secondary and higher education, have been widely condemned by the international community. However, there has been less attention and response to the harms inflicted on boys' education.
To address the education crisis, concerned governments and international organizations should press for the rehiring of female teachers, the inclusion of a quality curriculum, and an end to corporal punishment. Efforts should also be made to remove barriers to education, such as the costs of uniforms and school supplies, and to provide support for families in poverty.
Monitoring and raising awareness about the situation are crucial to promoting equal access to quality education for all children in Afghanistan.
China's Complex Relationship with Afghanistan: A Delicate Balancing Act
You may want to see also
Curriculum changes
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the education system has been hit hard. The Taliban's ban on girls' secondary education and women's university education has been widely condemned and has set back hard-won educational access over the last two decades.
The Taliban's proposed changes to the curriculum, which date back to 2020, are a key part of their ideological agenda. The curriculum will focus on propagating the Taliban's narrative of history, jihad, and Islamic rules, while stripping textbooks of images and references to democracy, human rights, women's rights, peace, music, television, parties, celebrations, non-Muslim figures, and elections. The Taliban also intends to remove depictions of living things, such as little girls and people doing sports, as well as anatomy images in biology textbooks.
The curriculum will also emphasize the "ugliness" of certain Afghan cultural traditions, such as the Attan dance and indigenous musical instruments, and will celebrate the destruction of idols, such as the Buddhas of Bamiyan. It will teach that child marriage is acceptable with a father's consent and that poverty and natural disasters are "divine punishment."
The Taliban's curriculum aims to cultivate an ideology that conflicts with other religions and cultures and to plant the "seeds of hatred against Western countries" in students' minds. This represents a radical and consequential example of politicizing education to support ideological aims.
The previous Taliban regime (1996-2001) also made significant changes to the curriculum, removing secular subjects like science and history and replacing trained teachers with mullahs. Girls were shut out of schools, and corporal punishment and sexual abuse were common.
The current Taliban regime's changes to the curriculum have far-reaching implications for the future of Afghanistan and the world. The curriculum will hinder Afghan students' ability to succeed in the modern global economy and violate their basic human right to access a decent education. It will also foster terrorism and violent ideologies, setting the stage for future security risks.
The Soaring Heights of Afghanistan's Mountainous Landscape
You may want to see also
Low attendance
The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 has had a devastating impact on the country's education system, with the crisis threatening to undo two decades of development gains. The right to education for Afghan children and youth, especially girls and women, is at stake.
One of the most pressing issues is the low attendance among boys and girls. Human Rights Watch interviewed boys and parents across 8 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces and found a sharp decline in boys' access to education and a deterioration in the quality of their education. Students and parents reported several factors contributing to low attendance, including economic and humanitarian crises, displacement of teachers and students, low-quality education, Taliban restrictions, and a lack of motivation and hope for the future.
The economic crisis has forced many boys to leave school and seek work, especially in marginalized communities and provinces like Daikundi and Bamiyan, which have experienced discrimination in aid distribution. Families struggle to meet basic needs such as food, transportation, school supplies, and textbooks, further discouraging school attendance.
The quality of education has also suffered due to the dismissal of female teachers, who made up a significant proportion of educators, particularly in boys' schools. The Taliban's ban on women's employment has resulted in the loss of thousands of female teachers, leaving many schools with unqualified or less qualified male teachers. This has disrupted the education of many schoolboys, who now face vacant hours during the school day due to the absence of teachers.
The Taliban's restrictions and focus on appearance, clothing, and phones have also contributed to low attendance. Students reported that the Taliban's strict rules, such as the requirement to wear traditional Afghan clothing and the prohibition of smartphones in schools, have created a suffocating environment. The constant fear of visits from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has added to the stress and anxiety of students.
Additionally, the curriculum changes implemented by the Taliban have removed important subjects like arts, sports, English language, and civic education, further reducing the motivation of students to attend school. The curriculum now heavily emphasizes religious studies, moral values, dress code, and hairstyles, promoting the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic values and their view of women's rights.
The combination of these factors has led to a significant downturn in school attendance, with students discouraged from attending school and families struggling to meet basic needs. The Taliban's policies and practices have not only denied girls and women their right to education but have also adversely affected boys, causing long-term harmful effects on Afghanistan's population and future.
A Complex Population Count: Afghanistan's Demographic Challenge
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, girls' access to education was severely restricted. Girls were banned from attending secondary school and university, and thousands of female teachers lost their jobs.
The Taliban's policies have also negatively impacted boys' education in Afghanistan. Many boys were previously taught by female teachers, but the Taliban has prohibited women from teaching boys. This has resulted in boys being taught by unqualified male teachers or having no teachers at all. The curriculum has also been changed, with important subjects like art, sports, English, and civic education being removed.
The war in Afghanistan has devastated the country's education system. Thousands of schools and madrasas have been destroyed, and many teachers and students have been killed or have fled the country. The enrollment levels have dropped significantly, especially in rural areas and for girls. The quality of education has also declined, with only 48% of teachers having the minimum academic qualifications.
UNICEF and other organizations are working to improve access to education for vulnerable children, especially girls. They are establishing community-based schools and accelerated learning centers to provide alternative pathways to learning. There are also efforts to improve the quality of education, build better education systems, and support conducive learning environments.
