Education In Afghanistanfor girls

Atticus Tay 3O2

Background Information

• During the Taliban regime (1996-2001), female education was banned

• All females were not educated, from primary education to tertiary education

• Girls schools were closed and females were not allowed to teach• However, many were secretly educated by their parents or in under

ground schools• In 1998, a UNICEF report showed that 9 out of 10 Afghan girls and

almost 2 out of 3 Afghan boys failed to be enrolled at school• Girls were denied the rights of education• Anyone caught breaking these rules would be shot by the Taliban

Today

• After the fall of the Taliban, women started gaining political rights– Women appointed prominent government positions

• However, since majority of the women were illiterate, they were not

involved in the talks for women's rights

– The government reduced women's rights whenever it deems fit

• Although the law only applies to a small percentage of the women in

Afghanistan, it shows that women's rights can easily be taken away from

women if they are uneducated and isolated.

• Despite the gender discrimination, education for girls has generally

improved– More than 5 million children are enrolled in schools, and among them, 35% are girls

However...

• An estimated 11 million Afghans are illiterate• Majority of the teachers have low education qualifications

How do girls in Afghanistan feel?

• “Educating women and girls and women’s empowerment in our community is my dream,” ~Behesta, a 20 year old Afghan girl

Marginalisations

• Sharia law states that a women's testimony is only half that of a man's

• Women considered as less important than men

• In February 2009, the President signed a law which affects the key

right of Afghan Shi'a women:

– Denies women to the right to leave their homes except for "legitimate"

purposes

– Forbids women from getting educated or working without husband's

permission

Impacts on the country

Political Impacts

• Gender Inequality

• Economy will not improve much as women are not allowed to work

• Immolation

Social Impacts

• Gender Inequality

• Women are physically abused by others

Sources

• http://www.schoolisopen.org/sio/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=60

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/ihavearightto/four_b/casestudy_art26.shtml

• http://www.trustineducation.org/resources/life-as-an-afghan-woman/

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Afghanistan