The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for the “full inclusion” of Afghan women and girls in public life, citing a “shocking” number of Afghan Taliban-imposed restrictions forced out of schools. warned about schoolgirls.
The organization’s deputy executive director, Omar Abdi, said in addition to calling for an end to the ban on women working in non-governmental organizations, UNICEF called for the Taliban to “ensure the full inclusion of girls and women in public life, especially in public secondary schools.” in education and higher education.
Therefore, he said, “More than 1 million girls who should have attended secondary school have lost their education for three years as they were banned from attending secondary school after September 2021, initially due to COVID-19. He said.
“The hopes of Afghan girls and women to learn and work have once again sunk by banning women’s access to universities and education centers with the recent announcement of December 20. ‘ she explained.
In this sense, he stressed, “an estimated 215,000 girls who attended sixth grade last year will be denied the right to study again” if secondary education classes remain closed in 2023. “Despite the difficult situation, the Afghan people have not given up, so neither should we,” he stressed.
Abdi said that “an estimated 200,000 girls continue to attend secondary school in about 12 states, while secondary school teachers continue to receive salaries from de facto authorities.” It emphasizes the existence of “symptoms”.
“The authorities we met in Kabul last week reaffirmed that they are not against girls studying in secondary schools and that they will reopen the centers after leaders approve the guidelines,” he said.
On the other hand, the fact that the number of public hall classes held in private homes and public spaces has “doubled from 10,000 to 20,000” has also had an impact. “There are about 600,000 children in these classes, of whom 55 percent are girls,” he said.
“Thanks to this kind of education, we are able to reach children who have never been to school, thanks to the access to many parts of the country that were previously inaccessible because of the conflict. ” he emphasized. “These positive signs are the result of both de facto commitments from authorities and community pressure to keep schools and community classes open.”
“As long as communities continue to demand education, we must continue to support both public education and other forms of education: community education classes, remedial classes, vocational training, etc. Without education, There is little hope for a better future for girls and women in Afghanistan,” he riveted.
Abdi’s statement comes days after the Taliban ordered both public and private universities in the country to ban students from accessing this year’s selective tests.
The new order amplifies the Taliban authorities’ initial restrictions announced in December, followed by a strict ban on women’s access to university tertiary education until further notice, sparking a wave of international criticism against the fundamentalist movement. brought about
Source: Diario.Elmundo
