Prepared by: Lima ghamsharik with the group members. Bi Bi Aisha H.S

Global Connection and Exchange Program Afghan and American PRE-College institute

Moini International Consulting (MIC)

Global Connection and Exchange Program Afghan and American PRE-College institute

Moini International Consulting (MIC)

Name: Lima ghamsharik

Site: Http://WWW.GCEAfghanistan.ning.com

E-mail: lima.ghamsharik@ymail.com

Topic: Education of Women

Education for Women in Afghanistan• In rural Afghanistan, around 90

per cent of women and 60 per cent of men are illiterate. Most teachers in Afghanistan are male and traditionally many families do not allow wives or daughters to be taught by a member of the opposite sex. Under Taliban rule (1996-2001) it was illegal and a crime punishable by death for women to learn to read and write. The Taliban held that women’s education was forbidden in the Qur'an. Many families are too poor to send all their children to school, and it is usually the girls who are kept at home to help. Poverty also causes girls to be taken out of school to be married, as poor families so desperately need the dowry paid by the groom’s family. But things are slowly changing

Education in Afghanistan • Education in Afghanistan was

improved under the rule of King Zahir Shah (from 1933 to 1973 making primary schools available to about half the population who were younger than 12 years of age, and expanding the secondary school system and the national university at Kabul (citation needed(During the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, the government of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan reformed the education system; education was stressed for both men and women and widespread literacy programmers were set up.

Percentage of Education in Afghanistan• According to sources, in 1988,

women made up 40 percent of the doctors and 60 percent of the teachers at the University of Kabul; 440,000 female students were enrolled in educational institutions and 80,000 more in literacy programs. Despite improvements, large percentage of the population remained illiterate. Beginning with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, successive wars virtually destroyed the education system. Most teachers fled the country during the wars. In the middle of the 1990s, about 650 schools were functioning.

Back warding of women from Education• Most of the women in the

shura ( community) cannot read or write and use their thumb print instead of a signature. The adult literacy classes they have helped to set up will ensure that future generations are empowered through better education. Today in Afghanistan there remain many barriers to female education, including entrenched social opposition, lack of educational institutions and extreme poverty. Christian Aid is working with local Afghan organizations to challenge stereotypes and help families escape poverty, giving girls and women an opportunity for an education, and a better chance in life.

Facing with problems in during education • As a result of the Soviet

war, and the civil war which occurred shortly afterwards, many schools were destroyed and the education process as a whole in Afghanistan was negatively affected.  The destruction of the education infrastructure went to an extreme level when the Taliban conquered and ruled most of Afghanistan. 

Education period still now!• Education in Afghanistan has

greatly improved since the Taliban were overthrown in late 2001. According to recent estimates from Afghanistan's Ministry of Education, more than 5.4 million children are enrolled in schools today, nearly 35% of them girls. Even though many arguments have been made criticizing the status and rate of development of the educational system in Afghanistan; and despite efforts by the Taliban to burn and shut down many schools, especially for girls in the South and East, more Afghans now attend school or receive some sort of education than ever in its modern history.

What needs to be done for schools?• A lot more still needs to

be done in order for Afghanistan to have what modern nations have for their citizens today.  An estimated 11 million Afghans are still illiterate ,many schools lack proper facilities, the number of qualified teachers are still low, and a major obstacle that needs to be overcome is a cultural bias that many Afghans have, especially in the conservative areas towards the necessity of educating women.

Encouraging of women to Education• Opposition within

Afghanistan to girls’ participation in education predates the Taliban. Historically, education for girls was rare in rural Afghanistan and almost exclusively confined to the capital. In 1919 King Amanullah seized the Afghan throne and began a rapid development of the country’s secular education system, with a particular focus on expanding education for women. During this period shortly following independence from Britain, women and girls were encouraged in their scholarly pursuits.

Improving of Education in Afghanistan• Nadir Shah, who took power

following Amanullah, was more cautious in his attempt to introduce educational opportunities for women. Nevertheless, over the course of the twentieth century, and in particular during King Mohammed Zahir’s long reign between 1933 and 1973, Afghanistan’s education system steadily expanded even as it continued to be influenced by demands from the country’s conservative cultural and religious authorities. By the 1970s, women made up over 60 percent of the 10,000 students who studied at Kabul University