KABUL, Afghanistan – The acting Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ramiz Alakbarov said the promises made by the Islamic Emirate government are just words, according to sources, adding he wants the door for girls’ school to be re-opened.
Alakbarov, who took charge of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), made the remarks in an interview with TOLOnews’ Hamid Bahraam.
“All the time I am hearing is while I am having this dialogue. What they are telling us is that in 12 provinces the schools are opened and other provinces will be reopened soon,” he said, as the local media quoted.
Reflecting on the reasons why young women are being deprived of schooling, Alakbarove explains “there is some technicalities, there is no policy against” education for Afghans female across the country.
“I keep hearing that education for all is something that they are offering to stand for,” he further said. “I want to see this in practice because I want to see girls back to school.”
Meanwhile, Alakbarov expressed concern over ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, saying the only practical solution to put an end to the crisis is to facilitate local Afghans getting back to work and make their living independently.
“Honestly, as I look at the situation in Afghanistan, this humanitarian crisis will never be over unless we start creating a more sustainable situation for people to go back to work, earn money and start addressing the problems,” he said.
This came at a time girls’ schools beyond grade six have remained closed for more than 10 months, where the latest grand assembly as well failed to address the voices of Afghan females and their urge for getting back to schools.
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Earlier, the Human Rights Watch (HRW), including a number of students and teachers, said their expectations from the recent national assembly of Afghan clerics were not met, as there was no specific mention of girls’ education and their rights in the country.
Recent gathering of clerics was expected to determine the reopening of the girl’s schools but the resolution did not refer to the topic, leaving majority of the women in disappointment.
“Our wish from the Loya Jirga was to reopen the school but this didn’t happen,” said a local teacher Shogofa, as TOLOnews quoted. “We wanted them to talk about the schools.”
“For how long will we be deprived of our education,” she questioned in disappointment? Will they respond to our questions about whether we have the right to study or not? We have been in an uncertain fate for a long time.”
Expressing frustration and an uncertain future for girls in Afghanistan, another Kabul teacher Momina said “Afghan girls become hopeless as the fate of their schools was not discussed and this is bad news for Afghan girls.”
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch said it is not surprising the gathering did not bear any fruit, concerning girls’ education in Afghanistan, which in fact was to be the “real thing” during the grand national assembly.
This is not “surprising that the Taliban’s grand meeting didn’t lead to any kind of breakthrough on a real thing — girls’ secondary school,” said Heather Barr, Associate director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, as local media reported.
But the Islamic Emirate officials in their defend said based on the final resolution, the decision was made about religious and modern educational system for girls in the country.
At least 3,000 people across Afghanistan were reportedly invited to the gathering of Islamic clerics, which was held at the Loya Jirga Hall on Thursday through the weekend in Kabul.
