Education International (EI) hosted a union side event at the 68th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) to highlight the plight of girls and women teachers in Afghanistan who have been forbidden from going to school and teaching since the Taliban takeover in 2021.
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Shakila* is a dedicated teacher with over 15 years of service in the Balkh Province of Afghanistan. Since the most recent takeover of the Taliban in 2021 which led to the shutdown of education for girls, attacks on female teachers, and a crackdown on the rights of women, Shakila reports feeling a profound sadness caused by living in an unsafe environment. Beyond her personal hardships, the closure of schools for her daughters and female students adds a strong sense of injustice. Partial and irregular salary payments for teachers exacerbate the already difficult conditions the education sector faces. Despite the challenges, Shakila remains passionately committed to advocating for academic freedom, emphasizing the need for an equitable educational environment.
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In 2022, Education International (EI) took a significant step to champion the rights of Afghan teachers with the launch of the Afghan Teacher's Rights Observatory. This dedicated platform was created to document the situation of education in Afghanistan, addressing critical aspects such as teachers' salaries, working conditions, human rights violations, gender equity, girls' access to education, restrictions on women teachers, safety, and curriculum adherence to international human rights standards.
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October 11, the International Day of the Girl Child, is a day of mobilisation and action to advance the rights of girls around the world. Amid worrying developments that have undone decades of progress on girls’ rights, Education International joins allies from around the world in calling for governments and the international community to invest in and protect girls’ rights.
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Today, the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations will discuss the desperate situation of human rights in Afghanistan, at the International Labour Conference, in Geneva. Through the Afghan Teachers’ Rights Observatory, Education International collects testimonies and calls attention to the terrible conditions facing teachers and the severe limitations placed on girls’ right to education by the Taliban regime.
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The Observatory will gather data and testimonies on rights’ violations, amplify the voice of Afghan teachers, and work to restore girls’ right to education.
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During the last four decades, Afghanistan has witnessed a series of destructive wars, and it is a fact that war causes deaths, destroys infrastructures, and severely impacts various aspects of people's lives. Throughout these times, Afghan teachers have always served the youth of the country, with honesty and dedication.
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International solidarity was reaffirmed at a webinar on Protecting the Right to Education of Girls in Afghanistan organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and Unite the Union. Participants took stock of the educational and trade union situation in the country.
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The National Teachers Elected Council (NTEC) has played a key role in ensuring that UNICEF’s badly needed emergency funds reach teachers across Afghanistan and advocating for secondary girls access to education be reinstated.
Read moreMore news articles and further information can be found in the Afghanistan country profile on the website of Education International.