01/10/2024
The struggle for education and not only”
Written by Monesa
As I sit on my bed reading the latest news about the Taliban's new restrictions on women in Afghanistan, I find myself deeply saddened and heartbroken. The weight of these developments is difficult to bear, and I feel compelled to put my thoughts into words but I am here today to shed light on the ongoing plight of Afghan girls who have been systematically denied the right to education, a right that is not only a fundamental human right but also a key pillar for a nation’s progress and prosperity. The struggle of Afghan girls, particularly under the Taliban regime, is not just a story of the present but a long and tragic tale of repression, resilience, and hope.
Between 1996 and 2001, during the first Taliban regime, girls' education was entirely banned. Schools for girls were shut down, and even private tutoring or underground education was punishable. During this dark period, Afghan girls lived under an oppressive regime that sought to erase their very presence from public life.
Despite, families that dared to educate their daughters did so in secret, risking severe punishment. Despite this, the spirit of learning persisted in hidden classrooms across Afghanistan. Afghan girls showed immense courage and resilience, refusing to let the darkness of the Taliban’s rule extinguish their desire to learn.
The fall of the Taliban in 2001 brought new opportunities for Afghan girls. The Taliban, having ruled from 1996 to 2001, had strictly prohibited girls from attending school, forcing the education system to go underground. When the Taliban regime collapsed, the international community and the Afghan government worked together to rebuild the education system, focusing on empowering girls.
Girls flocked to schools for the first time in years. International aid and support poured in, and the curriculum began to expand. For many Afghan girls, this period represented a new dawn, one where they could learn freely, dream openly, and build a future. Progress, however, was slow and faced challenges due to security issues, conservative opposition, and a fragile infrastructure.
The period following 2014 marked a crucial transition in Afghanistan. After the international combat forces withdrew, Afghan security forces took responsibility for maintaining peace. During this time, progress was made in the education sector for girls, with many attending school and university for the first time.
However, even during this period of relative freedom, challenges persisted. Many rural areas still had limited access to education due to ongoing conflict, lack of infrastructure, and deeply entrenched cultural barriers. Girls in these areas were often prevented from attending school due to security risks, societal norms, or poverty. Yet, there was hope. Young Afghan girls, especially in urban centers, were becoming trailblazers breaking barriers and defying expectations.
In August 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, leading to an immediate rollback of many rights that women and girls had gained over the past 20 years. One of their first actions was to impose restrictions on girls’ education, marking a sharp and cruel regression in the progress that had been made. Girls who had dreams of becoming doctors, engineers, teachers, or leaders were suddenly left in the dark, with their futures at the mercy of a regime that sees them as secondary citizens.
As of today, Afghan girls face some of the most severe restrictions on education in the modern world. Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, girls above the sixth grade have been banned from attending secondary school and universities. This heartbreaking decree has stolen the dreams and aspirations of millions of girls, who now sit at home, deprived of their basic right to learn and grow. The few schools that remain open for girls are mostly primary schools, but as they grow older, they find the doors to education slammed shut.
Without access to education, Afghan girls are condemned to a future of uncertainty. They are denied the ability to pursue careers, achieve financial independence, and break the cycle of poverty. The impact of this ban is not just individual, it is societal, as Afghanistan as a nation will suffer the consequences of an uneducated generation for decades to come.
I don’t usually like to share much about myself, but I have to say that I grew up in Greece, a country where education was not only free and of high quality but also safe. From a young age, I felt a deep curiosity about my community. I wanted to connect with them, to understand more about my culture and their stories. When I finished school, I applied for a position as a cultural mediator. I was filled with excitement at the thought of going to the camps and meeting people from different countries, different religions, with different skin colors, mindsets, and traditions. What truly mattered wasn’t their differences, but the shared struggles that bound them, the same unspoken burdens they both carried.
It was an incredible opportunity for me, and through it, I heard the stories of thousands. Sometimes those stories were hard to listen to, marked by loss, displacement, and pain. Other times, they were light-hearted and full of hope. What moved me the most were the moments when people shared their stories with a smile, their eyes gleaming with hope for a safer, better life. It was incredibly emotional to witness that hope, even in the face of so much hardship.
However, one of the most difficult things for me to witness was the lack of education among many Afghan women. It broke my heart to see so many of them unable to read or even write their own names. Most didn’t know what a signature was, or what it meant to have one. This reality was profoundly sad for me. And I often found myself wondering: What if I had grown up in Afghanistan? How would my life have turned out? What kind of challenges would I have faced?
Then by August 2021, I stopped asking myself these questions. The answer had become painfully obvious. Every time I saw videos on social media of girls my age crying, pleading for their basic human rights, I felt a chill run through me. These were not strangers, but women just like me, with dreams, ambitions, and a desire for a life filled with dignity and opportunity. It was heart-breaking to see their futures slipping away before their eyes, simply because they were born in a place where those rights were taken from them. I couldn't help but feel both gratitude and guilt. Gratitude for the opportunities I had, and guilt for the fact that so many others, just like me, were being denied even the most fundamental freedoms.
The contrast between our lives felt like a weight I couldn't shake . It became impossible to ignore the privilege of my own education, the safety I grew up with, and the endless possibilities I had in front of me, things I had once taken for granted but now saw as precious. Watching their pain, I understood that had I stayed in Afghanistan, my life might have been entirely different.
This realization wasn’t just eye-opening, it was life changing. It deepened my resolve to continue working with refugee communities, to listen, to support, and to advocate for those who have been silenced. And though I know I can’t change everything, but I also know that even small actions can make a difference...
Today, the situation is once again dire, and the future of millions of Afghan girls hangs in the balance. However, their struggle is not theirs alone it represents a fight for universal human rights, equality, and justice. While cultural barriers, security concerns, corruption, and ongoing political instability present significant challenges, these should not obstruct access to education for both men and women. Ensuring education for all is essential for fairness and is a critical step toward fostering the country's progress. Education must remain independent of political influence, particularly from extremist groups such as the Taliban. It should be governed by principles of knowledge, inclusivity, and empowerment, free from ideological interference, so it can fulfill its potential to promote societal development.
