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Afghanistan - Quality Education (Final Piece)

Violence

Violence and war in Afghanistan are one of the main reasons that education continues to be negatively affected today. Since 2001 there has been an overhaul of the education system due to violence and war and according to a 2017 UNICEF report violence continues to be on the rise in Afghanistan. A major issue of violence is due to the fact that government funded school are no longer run by the government, it is out of their control. This means that it makes it impossible for them to track how the education system is doing, including finding out individual results for students and schools. Violence is also an issue regarding landmines and other explosive remnants from war. Since 2009, 2016 was the year where the highest number of Afghani children became physically disabled due to explosive remnants and landmines . Afghanistan’s education ministry stated that there are 17,500 schools in total in the country, however 1,075 were closed in 2017 due to ongoing violence. In South Afghanistan, violence has been relentless over the past decade, therefore rates of school drop outs there has been disproportionately affected . Violence in Afghanistan also leads to security concerns for parents, therefore they do not send their children to school. For example, on average, there is a 9 per cent less enrolment in education for areas that had what is dubbed a ‘security incident’ from the year before. The constant fear of violence and safety means that a lot of families do not allow their children, females in particular to walk to school, or go to school in urban areas or even abroad. Parents in Afghanistan prefer to keep their female children safe at home due to the risk of insecurity on their walk to school. For example, in Kabul, Afghanistan, there has been 7 schools built over the last 15 years for the population of approximately 50,000 people, however it had struggled to attract students due to the fact it is a mountainous area and the Taliban have a strong influence.

Girls

Overall in 2017 2.2 million girls between the ages of 7 to 17 are out of school, compared to the 1.5 million boys of the same age group that also do not attend school. A 2017 World Bank report suggests that as many as 66 percent of Afghanistan’s girls are not in school . Large barriers to education for girls in Afghanistan are due to both traditional and religious beliefs . In South Central Afghanistan in particular, in certain areas girls are not to attend schools, they are only allowed to attend religious institutions. Boys attendance rates are also impacted upon due to both traditional and religious beliefs however according to a UNICEF report that impact is not as significant as it is for females. Family honour is also a factor that impacts on girl’s education in Afghanistan. This is due to bullying and harassment in schools, as this is a potential threat, it is seen as too big as a potential impact upon the family’s honour. They would rather not send their children to school than risk the family’s honour . There is a lack of teachers in Afghanistan which also impacts upon education. In particular there is a shortage of female teachers according to the 2018 UNICEF report . At the higher grade the shortage of female teachers is even higher, this is a problem for girl’s education as in many areas, more specifically conservative areas, some families will not let the girls be taught by a male teacher .  According to Strand only 32 per cent of higher education teachers and 17 per cent of primary school teachers are females. An independent review of corruption in the education system revealed that the poor quality of education causes many parents to stop their daughters from attending school . Afghanistans anti-corruption agency published a report that found most school still lack basic infrastructure such as buildings and tables, despite international donors investing billions of dollars into schools for construction .

Child Marriage

Over the last decade, the rate of child marriage has declined . However, child marriage is still the second most reported reason for girls dropping out of school. It is reported that the percentage of girls between the ages of 5 and 24 drop out of school is 19 per cent, compared to 3 per cent of boys of the same age bracket who drop out of school due to marriage. The perception in Afghanistan is that females do not need a higher education and is seen as unnecessary, causing a higher dropout rate .   In some areas of Afghanistan, basic literacy and numeracy is not considered to be a valuable tool for girls to have, this as well as child marriage is another reason as to why rates of education is still lower for females in Afghanistan than it is for men .

Poverty

Afghanistan is seen as quite an underdeveloped country, this is due to decades of war and violence within its borders. Poverty in Afghanistan is seen as the biggest barrier to education for both males and females. Poverty has quite a large effect on whether families decide to send their children to school. It depends on making decisions such as weighing up whether to educate their child or participate in child marriage .

Lack of Guardianship

It is seen that without guardianship, children are more likely to discontinue their education. This is due to the fact that they will need to become economically active in order to provide for themselves and sometimes others such as siblings. This affects males more than females but still occurs for both sexes. Ongoing war, violence and conflict throughout Afghanistan causes many children to no longer have guardianship. A 2018 UNICEF report states that orphans are the most vulnerable group to discontinue their education.

Children with Disabilities

A report completed in Afghanistan showed that children with physical disabilities are 14 per cent less likely to attend school. Children with mental disabilities are 20 per cent less likely to attend school. 75 per cent of school-aged children with disabilities in Afghanistan have never attended school. Of those with disabilities that do attend school, it is shown that approximately three quarters drop out before completing the sixth grade .

Corruption

Over the last decade there has been huge donor investment in education in Afghanistan, however corruption is a big influencer on why there is abysmal infrastructure in Afghan schools . The entire education system is affected by corruption, a report by the anti-corruption agency advised it has been impacted in ways such as the smallest procedures of modifying school certificates, the appointment of teachers and the handling of school construction contracts. Corruption is also seen as a major factor in discrepancies seen in the education system in Afghanistan .

References

UNICEF - A global initiative on out-of-school children

NYT - A New Push Is On for Afghan Schools, but the Numbers Are Grim

BEYOND (THE ABCs): Education, Community, and Feminism in Afghanistan

Al Jazeera - Where's the aid money gone? Afghan girls' struggle for education

Suffering, hope, and entrapment: Resilience and cultural values in Afghanistan

UN Sustainable Development Goals - Goal 4 - Quality Education