Afghan girls at study in a school in Kandahar (file photo) (AFP)
March 24, 2006 – Half the girls in Afghanistan are not going to school because their parents fear for their safety, Rima Salah, the deputy executive director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), said today.
There have been at least 30 attacks on schools and their staff in the past six months. The attacks left five teachers and one student dead.
Salah said security needs to be improved at schools so that families know their children, "girls in particular," are safe.
Salah said the UNICEF is talking with community leaders about creating safe areas for girls, even if that means holding classes in private homes.
(Reuters)
Education And Islam
Education And Islam
KEEPING KIDS IN SCHOOL. Education raises many vexing social issues in impoverished and predominantly Muslim countries like Afghanistan and the countries of Central Asia. In these countries, many students fail to complete their education for reasons ranging from poverty to discrimination.
“One of the main problems is the distance between the child’s home and the nearest school building. This is particularly a problem for adolescent girls because families quite understandably don’t feel comfortable allowing the girls to walk long distances unaccompanied to the classrooms,” says a UN aid worker in Afghanistan...(more).
See also:
The Role Of Religion In Classrooms
Madrasahs Reject Government Crackdown Efforts
Madrasahs Lead Religious Teaching Revival
UN Report Finds World's Children 'Excluded And Invisible'