August 3, 2017: In Afghanistan’s northern Balkh Province, ethnic Turkmen kids attend class every day in a small tent — the only school available in their area. There are few books, and no chairs or desks. Some teachers have faced threats from violent extremists, but they remain committed to educating the next generation, whatever the
iNews: Afghanistan is one of the world’s most challenging societies to fight for women’s rights, but that hasn’t stopped Jamila Afghani teaching imams what they have been doing wrong The story of Jamila Afghani and the impact of her work can be distilled down to one episode, played out on a street corner on the outskirts
The Guardian (UK): Afghan authorities have drafted a deal giving the Turkish government control of more than a dozen schools in Afghanistan affiliated with the exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen. Western and Afghan officials believe the agreement is part of a bargain allowing Afghanistan’s vice-president, Abdul Rashid Dostum, who has been accused of abducting and torturing a
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan May 15, 2017 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says women are the biggest victims of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, which he says has prevented millions of girls and women from getting an education. “The number of women deprived of literacy in Afghanistan is three times more than men and the reason
DW: In former Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, many still believe a woman’s place is in the home. But two Afghan sisters want to bring a digital revolution to their country by teaching girls how to code and use computers. Click here to read more (external link).
Ayaz Gul VOA News March 31, 2017 ISLAMABAD — A U.S. government monitoring agency says that its review of the conditions and status of USAID-funded schools in northern Afghanistan has detected “extreme discrepancies between reported and observed students and teachers.” The review by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) focused on the relatively peaceful
Noor Zahid VOA News March 26, 2017 The American University of Afghanistan, a prestigious institution of higher education in the country, has just reopened seven months after a deadly terrorist attack that killed 13 people and injured more than 35 others. Among those killed last August were seven students, one professor, three police officers and
Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News March 23, 2017 ISLAMABAD — More than 1,100 children per day could drop out of school in 2017, an international children’s rights organization warned Thursday, the first day of the new Afghan school year. Save the Children cited ongoing violence and instability, a lack of employment opportunities for parents, and an increase
IWPR: Women say they face unremitting harassment in the public sphere. Najla, a 20-year old undergraduate at a private university in Kabul province, is contemplating giving up her degree. She says that continuous sexual harassment on campus has made it nearly impossible to continue with her political science studies. Click here to read more (external link).
Reuters: Afghanistan has ordered a network of schools run by an organization regarded with suspicion by the Turkish government to be transferred to a foundation approved by Ankara, Afghan officials said. The move against Afghan Turk CAG Educational NGO (ATCE), the body that runs the schools, appears to be part of Turkey’s campaign against followers of