By Belquis Ahmadi |
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Senior Program Officer at |
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United States Institute of Peace |
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Lemar , a local businessman said , “ It is not so much about the amount , it is about publicly shaming those who disobey the elders ’ decision as , in addition to the ‘ fine ,’ the violator will also face isolation and other restrictions .”
It took several years of diplomacy and advocacy by multiple factions to finally get the elders ’ approval and support for the education of both girls and boys . Women of all ages and backgrounds have been the silent , persistent advocates for education . Young educated men in the province , Afghans who had migrated to other countries like Iran and Pakistan and later returned to Afghanistan , and young Khosti men who worked as laborers in gulf
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countries also have been pushing for access to education for girls and boys .
This is how it all started , but not where the movement ended . Last year , the elders from several villages within Shamal district reached out to the government-appointed administrative governor of the district demanding financial and material support to build a school . The district governor promised to build a school with a few conditions : Land had to be donated by locals and people had to take responsibility for ensuring the security of the school building as well as the security of the students , teachers , and school officials .
On January 24 , 2020 , some 100 people — including 50
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tribal elders , 40 youth , and 10 religious actors — in the presence of the district governor of Shamal , held a jirga , or assembly , to discuss the need for more schools in the district . After several hours of debate about the importance of education and the link between education , economic prosperity , and the eradication of poverty , the district leaders signed a letter pledging their support to facilitate education for all children .
Knowing that villagers would prioritize boys ’ schooling over that of girls , advocates for equal education decided to establish an informal school for girls . Since its opening , 250 girls have enrolled . The students are taught by volunteers , all of
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whom are men , as there are no female teachers in the district . The next step is to register the school as an official government-run school .
Since the agreement became public early this year , prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns , several women ’ s rights activists and groups launched a door-to-door campaign to raise awareness about the importance of education for girls . Zainab , one of several women ’ s rights activists who traveled to various villages , spoke with men and women , encouraging them to send their girls to school . Zainab said that she had prepared for the worst . She didn ’ t know what the reaction would be from the public .
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