As you may have read, there is somewhat of an update on women’s education in Afghanistan. When grades 7th-12th were recently told they could reopen, the Taliban allowed only boys to report back to the classroom. At this point, girls older than 6th grade wait in fear at home to know more about their futures.
But it is not only girls who wait without answers. Women have not only been locked out of government, but also female teachers and administrators have been barred from all future curriculum conversations. The Taliban has a weekly meeting on education, but has asked female educators to send a male representative in their places.
In America, only about 24-26% of teachers are male. Around 74% percent of teachers in America are women. As I think about all that women are facing in Afghanistan, it is a good reminder to stay focused on the real purpose of education, a better life for all students.
Parisa, a woman who works in a school in Kabul, told The New York Times, “I started wearing the niqab from the first day of the coming of the Taliban. We will wear it, but we don’t want to stop educating.”
What a fascinating take in comparison to our COVID days. Education during a pandemic has been extremely tough. Many of our hopes and expectations for our children aren’t the norm right now. But as I listen to the stories of women who are terrified or ready to face anything to go to school, I am reminded of what a gift, what a freedom education is, whether it is perfect or not.
I’d much rather send my daughter in a mask to school than a niqab, and I am grateful that, in America, I do have some options if I disagree with a dress code. I also cannot imagine such closed doors when it comes to what happens in schools and in curriculum. It makes me grateful to live in a country where there is some space to argue about curricular topics like critical race theory.
Do we think that families should always be able to find the best setting for their children? Certainly! But watching women lose their opportunity to learn is a stark reminder of what a government without protected freedoms looks like.
Today, I am grateful for the arguments that we have seen across the country in school boards and administrations. Thankfully, there’s still room for discourse and conversation in America.