Kabul: Ahmadullah Faizi was happy that his 16-year-old daughter found a way to continue her education after the Taliban closed her school in Kabul three years ago.
She took online graphics and design classes, and while virtual learning wasn't exactly what the girl had planned for herself — she wanted to major in computer science after high school — it brought temporary relief. .
“He is very creative… the online learning program helped him acquire new skills,” Faizi said.
He is very happy and always helps all family members in designing tasks. He designs brand names and logos and works with various videos that he clicks on his phone.
Faizi's daughter is one of an estimated 1.1 million girls who have been denied access to formal education since September 2021 – a month after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and suspended secondary schools for them.
Neither domestic appeals nor international pressure have since helped lift the ban, which Taliban officials have repeatedly said was an “internal matter” as they later extended the ban to universities and more. 100,000 female students were prevented from completing their education.
With the only state-run educational institutions allowing girls to attend schools—Islamic schools that focus on religious education—online classes have been the only option available to access modern education.
It is unclear how many girls and women are involved in online education in a country where less than 20 percent of the population has access to the Internet.
One of the main organizations offering online courses, the Afghan chapter of Women in Technology International – a global NGO that promotes and supports the achievements of women in technology – has trained thousands of people since launching its digital training programs two years ago. The user has registered.
Many have been able to develop their networks with experts from different countries and remote work opportunities, and some have started their advanced degrees online. These initiatives have provided them with valuable skills and a sense of empowerment and independence in a society where formal educational opportunities are limited.
We have trained more than 3,000 Afghan women through various programs including coding, artificial intelligence, data science and digital literacy.
While such courses offer opportunity and hope – albeit limited to those with the devices and internet connection to access them – there is no illusion that they can replace real schools and universities, or help women to Become independent when there are limitations in their work. .
“Short-term and online programs can only provide temporary and incomplete solutions,” said Faizi, whose daughter, despite learning design skills, has not been able to put them into practice.
Until schools and universities reopen and women have better job opportunities, the situation of girls and women will remain the same.
Shabana Amiri, a 20-year-old from Kabul who will graduate from high school in 2021, has tried online classes and while she thinks they were good, there was no way they could offer a substitute for formal education.
In school and university, we are creating jobs and gaining life-long experiences, while in short courses, we only learn limited skills. The only way to save is to reopen schools and universities.”
Otherwise, most girls would like to leave the country to continue their education. “I don't want to stay in Afghanistan for the rest of my life and become illiterate.”
