“Educate a boy, and you educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.
African proverb via Greg Mortensen”
― Greg Mortenson, Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time
Education still is a dream for afghan girls though it has been spent million dollars on it in different parts of Afghanistan. Girls are human the same as boys. The creator of both girls and boys is Allah. So there are no differences between them except some limitations for girls to be protected from dangers. As Afghanistan is on the way of development, young girls try and have vision of participate in developing it. I, as an afghan girl, believe that education is a key for rebuilding Afghanistan, but it calls on both men and women to rebuild it together. It is still a dream for me who doesn’t have the support of family because of my conservative and traditional society and unsecure situation for girls. Before I go through details, I would like to mention about challenges which prevents girls to get educated as they desire nowadays as followings:
- Security problems in Afghanistan especially in districts
- Traditional and conservative afghan society
- Lack of financial support for educating
- Religious issues and misunderstanding about what Islam says about education of human
- Corruption in the government system of Afghanistan
Many families prevent their girls going to school or university because there is not security and people are not broad minded and educated to know importance of education for girls, future mothers of coming generation of Afghanistan. It also causes families make their daughters married under age of 18 and they could not succeed to finish their secondary school or even is summarized just studying primary school.
Moreover, many girls could not work according their major or interest which studied at university because of security and afghan conservative society and were obliged to be a teacher. When a girl with this condition faces, naturally she gets disappointed and not try to go forward.
Corruption and discrimination of race and gender have become other challenges for girls nowadays in Afghanistan which makes them disappointed to achieve their education dreams. People who have power and money can take best education either government or private education institutions or schools. Afghanistan is on the way of improvement and its economy infrastructure is weak. It cannot support and provide free education for all youths, so families who do not have good economy choose their sons to be educated as Afghanistan is a patriarchate and conservative society. Also, when there is corruption in the system of government and there is such a situation with discrimination and no merit based system, how can a girl get her dream education? No way! Just stay home or marry with a man to take care of her! I read news in BBC. It is said that a girl failed in entrance exam of University1391/2012 ( Kankoor), she suicided herself in Ghazni Province. It added also students who failed this exam; they lose their opportunity to study in university. I also read news regarding this news that the girl suicided because it has become common among people of that province that when a girl cannot get educated, she will lose her marriage chance. So this is also afghan wrong traditions and custom.
Besides of all these challenges, religious issues in afghan conservative society cause obstacles for girls to get educated. On March, 2, 2012, Ulema Council declaimed that women cannot travel abroad without her Mahram and she must not talk with males in educational environment and at work or in Bazar. When a girl wants to study her education outside Afghanistan, and there is not enough financial aid to support 2 people (one student and another Mahram), she gets disappointed to study and will lose her hope and goal for studying, and rebuilding Afghanistan eagerly. Also how is it possible for females not to communicate with males in society and study, work or get educated?
As a result, I think education is still a wish and dream for girls in Afghanistan in its real meaning especially when girls don’t have their family and financial supports in a conservative, insecure and less intellectual society.
Written by: Shakila Enayatzade
