KABUL: Ahmadullah Faizi was happy when his 16-year-old daughter found a way to continue her education after the Taliban closed her school in Kabul three years ago.
She took online courses in graphics and design, and while virtual learning wasn’t exactly what the girl had planned for herself (she wanted to study computer science after high school), it offered her some temporary relief.
“She is very creative… The online learning program has helped her learn new skills,” Faizi said.
“She is very happy and always offers everyone in the family help with design tasks. She designs brand names and logos and works with different videos she takes with her phone.”
Faizi’s daughter is one of an estimated 1.1 million girls who have been denied access to formal education since September 2021, a month after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan and suspended secondary schools for them.
Since then, neither appeals at home nor international pressure have helped lift the ban, which Taliban authorities have repeatedly called an “internal issue,” later extending it to universities, leaving more than 100,000 female students unable to complete their studies.
Since the only public educational institutions allowed for girls are madrasas (Islamic schools focused on religious education), online classes have been the only option available for accessing modern education.
It is unclear how many girls and women are engaged in online learning in a country where less than 20 percent of the population has access to the Internet.
One of the leading organizations offering online courses, the Afghanistan chapter of Women in Tech International, a global NGO that promotes and supports the success of women in technology, has registered thousands of users since it launched its digital training programs two years ago.
“Many of them have been able to expand their networks with experts from different countries and remote work opportunities, and some have started their master’s degrees online. These initiatives have provided them with valuable skills and a sense of empowerment and independence in a society where formal educational opportunities are limited,” Dr. Zahra Nazari, country director of Women in Tech Afghanistan, told Arab News.
“We have trained over 3,000 Afghan women through various programs, including coding, artificial intelligence, data science and digital literacy.”
While such courses offer opportunity and hope, albeit limited to those with the devices and internet to access them, there is no illusion that they can replace proper schools and universities, or help women be independent when there are also restrictions on their work.
“Short-term and online programs can only offer temporary and incomplete solutions,” said Faizi, whose daughter, despite gaining design skills, has not been able to put them into practice.
“If schools and universities are not reopened and women are not given more job opportunities, the situation of girls and women will remain the same.”
Shabana Amiri, a 20-year-old from Kabul who graduated from high school in 2021, tried online classes, and while she thought they were good, there was no way they could be an alternative to formal education.
“In school and college, we are making careers and getting lifelong experiences, while in short-term courses, we are only learning limited skills. The only way out is to reopen schools and colleges,” he said.
“Otherwise, most girls would want to leave the country to continue their studies. I don't want to stay in Afghanistan and become illiterate for the rest of my life.”
