Thousands of Afghan girls deprived from school education

It has been a year since the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan. For a year, most of the country’s teenagers have not been able to step into the classroom. Due to Taliban’s harsh decision towards women, especially girls have been deprived of school education. With the ruling Taliban showing no sign of allowing them to return to school, some social workers are looking for ways to continue the education of the teenagers.

 Dozens of girls gathered to study in an informal school established underground by Sodaba Najhand in a house in Kabul. Sodaba and her sister teach English, science and maths to the girls in secondary school. Sodaba said that she stood against that harsh decision by teaching girls to provide a swift response to the Taliban, who took away women’s right to education and work. After the Taliban banned girls up to sixth grade from going to school, she started the informal school underground.

The aid agency Save the Children interviewed about 1,700 children between the ages of 9 and 17. In the two-month long survey conducted by Save the Children, it was found that more girls as compared to boys did not go to school. During the survey it has been found that more than 45 percent of teenage girls do not go to school compared to 20 percent of teenagers boys. Compared to 16 percent of teenagers boys, 26 percent of girls have shown symptoms of ‘depression’.

 The people of Afghanistan, who have already been trapped in the vicious cycle of extreme poverty, have been deprived of financial aid from the international community after the extremist group Taliban seized power, and forced millions of people with poor economic conditions to starve. Teachers, parents and experts have all expressed their deep concern over the worsening economy of the country and expressed anger that their daughters’ education right has been snatched. Further more, the Afghan women are oppressed due to the restrictions on work and dress.