Education crisis in Afghanistan

At the very end of December 2022, tens of thousands of women were banned from universities in Afghanistan by the Taliban. Already the Taliban had banned most high school girls from schools since August 2022. These Afghans girls and women are no longer able to continue education anymore. These new bans really hurt Afghanistan’s next generation.

Now roughly 2.5 million Afghan women and girls are forcibly not allowed to go to school, according to Al Jazeera. Four out of five Afghan girls and young women are out of school according to UNESCO. They spend their days working on farms, weaving carpets, and doing household chores. In August 2021 when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, they began banning girls from school. At the very end of December 2022 they banned girls from universities.

Some of my female relatives were university students, one of them was a medical student, but unfortunately beginning on Dec. 25, 2022, when the Taliban closed universities, they were no longer able to study. Staying at home for days and weeks unable to study, definitely impacts the mind. Afghan girls are facing depression, in some cases girls have chosen to take their life.

Some organizations are helping Afghan girls to continue their education. The Malala Fund supports Afghan educators who offer  alternative education programs for girls while schools remain closed. Another organization, Sahar, provides equal education opportunities for Afghan girls and women. Sahar has built and repaired schools, specifically for Afghan girls. In addition, the organization provides literacy classes for girls and women.

I think all people, women and men, around the world should come together and raise their voice for Afghan girls. I am a Lowell High School student and I want to bring awareness to Lowell High School and my community in Lowell to let people know about education bans in Afghanistan so they can help try to put pressure on the US government to then put pressure on the Afghan government to bring changes in Afghanistan for girls’ education. One way the US Government could put pressure is by putting new economic sanctions in place.  Many countries can do this too. I personally support Afghan girls on social media and I write posts against the Taliban’s ban on education like many others Afghans do. If it doesn’t bring any change for girls’ education, at least it can help us to let other countries know about Afghan girls’ lack of access to education. So maybe they can in the future help Afghan girls continue their education.

If you want to destroy a nation, first stop its people from being educated. The more women are educated, the brighter a society is.