KABUL: While the world celebrates International Education Day as a commitment to knowledge, justice, and well-being, Afghanistan faces a bitter and painful reality, millions of Afghan girls have been deprived of their fundamental human right to education. This year’s observance comes amidst statements and declarations, highlighting that millions of girls have been barred from education for four years, living with an uncertain future. January 24 is International Education Day, emphasizing the role of education and teachers in the fight against hatred in many countries. However, in Afghanistan, the pressing issue remains, how long will those in power continue their opposition to and enmity with knowledge? Since the Taliban regained power in mid-August 2021, they have gradually imposed more restrictions on women and girls. They have prohibited girls above the sixth grade from attending school and imposed bans on women working in most sectors, an action that faced severe criticism from both the Afghan people and the international community. The participation of women in higher education in Afghanistan, has plummeted to zero, said UNESCO adding that increased nearly twenty-fold over the past twenty years before the Taliban’s return. The number of female students grew from 5,000 to over 100,000. Now, unfortunately, instead of progressing toward education, a covert war has emerged against modern sciences, particularly girls’ education. For more than four years, the doors to secondary, high school, and higher education for girls have remained closed, and professors and students are either forced to leave the country or retreat into silence and isolation under various pressures. The situation is not only a blatant violation of fundamental human rights but also a devastating blow to the country’s national interests, economic development, social stability, independence, and bright future.
