Afghanistan Peace CampaignShe also urged the Islamic Emirate to recognize that education is not just a moral imperative but critical for prosperity and peace.
The 24th of January is the International Day of Education. This day arrives as girls above the sixth grade are not allowed to go to school in Afghanistan.
The UN special envoy for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva, Amnesty International, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Program, and other international groups asked the Islamic Emirate to lift the ban on girls’ education as soon as possible.
Roza Otunbayeva, in a video released by UNAMA News on X said: “In Afghanistan, education for all, for girls and boys, women and men, is more than just a fundamental right. It is the foundation for Afghanistan’s future.”
Remarking on the international day of education, Otunbayeva added that opening of schools is not just a demand of western nations but also of the Muslim world.
She also urged the Islamic Emirate to recognize that education is not just a moral imperative but critical for prosperity and peace.
Roza Otunbayeva noted that the continued deprivation of Afghan girls from education will not only affect all Afghans, but will isolate Afghanistan globally.
“To maintain the current path only inflicts further harm on all Afghans and risks isolating Afghanistan from both the Islamic world and the international community,” Otunbayeva further said.
“On this International Education Day, UNHCR continues to support the education of boys & girls. Despite challenges, education remains a beacon of hope for Afghans.
UNHCR works across Afg to empower displaced & returnees communities to shape a brighter future amidst adversity,” UNHCR Afghanistan said on X.
Amnesty international in a statement asked the Afghan government to “grant women and girls their full spectrum of rights including access to education for girls of all ages by immediately re-opening all schools and universities, ensuring access to healthcare, and allowing women to return to work.”
“In the holy religion of Islam, every day is the day of education, but unfortunately today in the International Day of Education schools and universities are closed. We hope that the government of the Islamic Emirate reopens the closed doors of education as soon as possible,” said Tafsir Seyaposh, a women’s rights activist.
Although the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, did not comment on the education of girls above the sixth grade, he has said the provision of education is one of the priorities of the current government.
“Education is a necessity, and the Islamic Emirate has prioritized the education. We are trying to spend more of the budget on the education sector,” Mujahid said.
It has been over 850 days that girls above sixth grade have not been allowed from going to schools and nearly 400 days that universities have been closed to female students.