Education of Afghan Women

Here's my part of the group assignement:

The vast majority of Afghanistan's population professes to be followers of Islam. Over 1400 years ago, Islam demanded that men and women be equal before God, and gave them various rights such the right to inheritance, the right to vote, the right to work, and even choose their own partners in marriage. For centuries now in Afghanistan, women have been denied these rights either by official government decree or by their own husbands, fathers, and brothers.

· 87 percent of Afghan women are illiterate

· 30 percent of girls have access to education in Afghanistan

http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/2000/0529/afghanistan.womenduction.html

In a tiny private school in Kabul's Shashdarak neighborhood, a few young, dedicated Afghan women are bringing hope to a classroom full of girls. In January, after nine months of lobbying, they won permission from the government to open the doors of Naswan Shashdarak to girls studying in grades one to six. Theirs is a rare success: with the exception of doctors and nurses, Afghan women are still banned from working outside the home, and schooling is prohibited for girls over the age of 12.

The improvised blackboards are closet doors taken from a teacher's home. The children sit on kilims (carpets) laid over the dirt floor. They share old and tattered textbooks. The rusting metal doors of the school compound are kept firmly shut to avoid prying eyes and informers.

Only a few thousand girls--out of a total population of 2 million--are receiving some form of schooling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo6uRwwnFH0

This video shows the answer many men give to their women being educated. For them, a woman should only take care of the house and the family, and no education is needed for that.


If you think anything should be added, feel free to comment on this post.