Feminist revolution in sight in Afghanistan

LONDON (NNI): A feminist revolution is insight in war-ravaged Afghanistan as 13 girls schools have been opened in the capital Kabul, reports BBC.

The broadcast said that Taliban authorities have approved these schools. These schools are run and operated by the government and that are in fact set up by religious ministry of the Taliban government. So it has the approval at the highest level. And these are official government schools for girls.

What has happened though is all the students are female but are being taught by the male teachers. These schools only go up to the age of twelve or so. It is a big change. There are large numbers of schools opening all around the country, in villages, all across Afghanistan very slowly, very quietly private schools but they would actually get a lot of encouragement from seeing the government supporting its own schools that are being run in Kabul, the radio said.

The broadcast said that the underground education of the girls continued soon after the Taliban took power in Kabul in September 1996/ the risk of giving private tuition to all the girls was so grave that a lot of women teachers who could not work any more were afraid to try. So that is still a huge problem. On the other hand the Taliban now have quietly and unofficially sanctioned education on university levels for girls specifically for women to join medical schools.

The Taliban is responsive to the pressure of its own people. It is quite determined that it will not be pushed by the West. But the point is that there is a lot of pressure from within the country.