The Global Partnership for Education (GPE), a US-based funding platform, has earmarked $110 million to support children’s education in Afghanistan over the next two years.
In a statement, the GPE announced that the fund will empower girls and boys in Afghanistan to participate in community-based education programs, enhancing their proficiency in essential skills within public schools. The initiative will be executed through partnerships with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children, with the goal of reaching 7.6 million children throughout the country.
As outlined in the statement, the $59.5 million grant managed by UNICEF aims to sustain ongoing access to community-based classes, particularly for girls in remote and challenging regions. This includes provisions for supplies, textbooks, and support for the salaries of community teachers. Additionally, the $50 million grant administered by Save the Children will focus on community-based education, ensuring that girls and boys living in remote areas can continue to learn in a safe environment. This includes the repair of school buildings and the rehabilitation of water sanitation facilities.
Since their resurgence in power, the Taliban has prioritized restructuring Afghanistan’s education system. They’ve restricted girls from attending schools beyond sixth grade, enforced gender segregation and a revised dress code at public universities, and vowed to overhaul the educational curriculum in an attempt to propagate its ideology among the younger generations. UNESCO reports that since March 23, 2022, 1.1 million secondary school girls have been denied access to secondary education until further notice.
Although the Taliban has not explicitly banned boys’ education beyond the sixth grade, unlike their restrictions on girls and women, a recent report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) reveals that the regime’s abusive educational policies in Afghanistan are adversely affecting both genders. This includes regressive changes to the curriculum and the departure of qualified teachers. “The Taliban are causing irreversible damage to the Afghan education system for boys as well as girls,” said Sahar Fetrat, assistant women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch and author of the report. “By harming the whole school system in the country, they risk creating a lost generation deprived of a quality education.”
Despite Afghanistan having one of the world’s youngest populations, with over 65% under the age of 25, it has long been one of the most challenging places for children to grow up. With the Taliban in power, the combination of strict measures and economic pressures on households is pushing children to the brink. They are grappling with extreme hunger, forced labor, and increasing vulnerability to serious protection issues such as unaccompanied migration and child marriage.
Save the Children’s latest report underscores that in the coming year (2024), one in every three children in Afghanistan is projected to experience hunger. The organization’s findings indicate that by March 2024, nearly 16 million individuals in Afghanistan will grapple with food insecurity, with more than 7 million of them being children.
Expressing concern, the child support organization highlights the escalating poverty and hunger affecting children in Afghanistan. These children not only lack access to education but also face a dearth of suitable work opportunities. The organization emphasized, “When children experience hunger, they are vulnerable to severe health conditions, including malnutrition and weakened immune systems. The harsh winter weather threatens to compound these health risks, potentially leading to respiratory issues, hypothermia, and pneumonia.”
