Education International

ATROAfghan Teachers' Rights Observatory

Testimony

Anonymous, ex-teacher, female

Most of my family members are teachers, mother, sister, and brother. With the arrival of the Taliban, we lost our jobs.

Only my brother remains a teacher, whose income is not enough for our family. My father is also unemployed, which means a big financial problem for all the teachers.

Teachers do not have freedom of thought and expression. The Taliban has sent written letters to all schools saying that their ideology should be taught in all schools, which is known to be terror and war.

Some teachers I know have been warned about trying to defend their rights.

More Testimonies

Dunya, a female teacher for 15 years in a girls’ school in Badakhashan

I am angry about the closure of schools for girls beyond the 12th grade and the reduction of salaries for bachelor teachers like me. Regrettably, we do not find it necessary to maintain affiliation with the union now.

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Shahira, a female teacher for 3 years in a secondary school in Balkh

Teachers should have the right to join a professional association or education union and the union should have a legal right to negotiate on behalf of teachers on all professional matters, on professional autonomy and freedom.

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Seyed, a male teacher for over 20 years in a secondary boys’ school in Herat

I was happy when I was teaching the upper classes, but I have now been at home for the past two years. I firmly believe that girls should have the right to education and female teachers should be allowed to teach boys.

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All testimonies