Women who faced education deprivation in the first Taliban era: ‘We worry that our daughters will suffer our fate’

Kabul, (Kubha News)- In a worn-out house nestled in a poverty-stricken corner of Kabul, Maryam grapples with the harsh realities of life alongside her elderly in-laws. The financial lifeline, provided by her late husband’s bereavement allowance (Ekramya), was severed in the aftermath of the fall of the republican government and the resurgence of the Taliban.

Maryam, whose husband served as an officer in the Afghan security forces and succumbed to serious injuries sustained in a battle with the Taliban, now navigates the challenges of existence with her young son and two daughters. The abrupt loss of her husband’s income has left her in a precarious situation.
Reflecting on her circumstances, Maryam expresses the profound impact that the lack of education has had on her life trajectory. She discloses that with proper schooling, she might have secured a position within Ashraf Ghani’s government after her husband’s sacrifice. However, the absence of educational opportunities confined her to relying solely on her late husband’s bereavement allowance.

Prior to the fall of the republic, Maryam’s eldest daughter, a 7th-grade student, had dreams of academic advancement. Unfortunately, with the advent of the Taliban and the subsequent closure of girls’ schools, those aspirations were abruptly shattered.
Maryam shares her concerns for the future, saying, “One is the hardships of life, and the other is the unfavorable future of my daughters. When I was young, the Mujahideen disrupted my education due to war; then came the Taliban, closing schools and leaving me illiterate. Now, as my daughter approaches adulthood, the Taliban government has once again shuttered schools. I fear my daughter will share the same fate of illiteracy that befell me.”

In the initial era of their governance spanning from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban took the drastic measure of shuttering girls’ schools, leaving an indelible impact on the educational prospects of countless young women. The precise tally of girls who bore the brunt of this educational deprivation throughout the Taliban’s five-year rule remains elusive. Nevertheless, a prevailing sentiment suggests that a substantial number of them faced a perpetual setback in their pursuit of education.

Zarmina, employing a pseudonym to protect her identity, is another woman who ceased her studies during the initial phase of the Taliban’s rule. Currently residing in Pakistan, she maintains the hope of being evacuated to a foreign country. She explains that she took this step “for the future of her two young daughters.”

Speaking to Kubha News, Zarmina asserted, “I know that girls’ schools will not open, that’s why we left the country. My husband, who was working with foreigners (NGO), didn’t want to leave the country, but I told him to think about our young girls, so they don’t stay illiterate like me.”

Approximately 870 days have elapsed since the Taliban prohibited the education of female students beyond grade six. In the initial months of 2023, the Ministry of Education of the Taliban made an announcement indicating ongoing efforts to formulate a strategy for the education of girls.

According to reports, contentious issues such as the curriculum, mechanisms, and uniforms have led to a firm stance by the Taliban leadership against the reopening of girls’ schools. There appears to be a difference of opinion within the Taliban leadership regarding the continuation of women’s education in the country.

On September 28, 2023, during a conference in Kabul, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs of the Taliban, declared that education is mandatory for all men and women, emphasizing the need to allow girls to be educated as soon as possible. However, in the same meeting, the acting minister of Vice and Virtue seemingly contradicted his statements by rejecting the notion.

Expressing her concerns, Rowena, a women’s rights activist, states, “We hope that all excuses will end, and girls’ schools will be opened. If this does not happen, we Afghan women will have a bleak future.”
The ban on women’s education in Afghanistan has triggered global reactions, yet the interim government of the Taliban has not made a definitive announcement regarding the reopening of schools. In May of the previous year, the Taliban disclosed the formation of an eight-member committee led by the Chief of the Supreme Court to determine the approach to educating girls. However, the outcomes of this committee and its work remain undisclosed.

This year, amidst global reactions, Human Rights Watch once again urged the Taliban to allow girls to attend schools and universities at the earliest.
The spokesperson of the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted last week that the international community should engage with the Taliban, based on the principle of safeguarding the rights of Afghan women and girls.

“We want to see how much progress has been made on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan,” said Matthew Miller.
The Taliban have repeatedly asserted that they are formulating a plan for the education of girls. However, analysts contend that the current caretaker government of the Taliban should refrain from imposing a ban on the education of girls, as was the case during their previous rule.

Engineer Rahat Gul Zyarmal, an affairs analyst, said to Kubha News, “It is evident from the past of the Taliban that they oppose the education of girls. Nearly three years have passed since the closure of schools, and this situation has had a severe impact on society. In many provinces, the absence of female doctors or teachers is notable. The mortality rates of mothers and children in Afghanistan have increased compared to the past.”

Zyarmal urged the international community to exert pressure on the Taliban, preventing further deprivation of education for Afghan girls.

During the “Ulema Consultative Conference” in Kabul in December 2022, the Taliban were asked to reopen girls’ schools, but there has been no positive response from the Taliban government that called the conference.