Students raise awareness for women’s education in Afghanistan
Article By Stefani Vicente
On Wednesday, Feb. 18, juniors Nina Livni and Norah Feldt hosted a talk in the Brunelle Hall during extended time about the education of women in Afghanistan, centered around the story of Zuhal, a teacher at the Institution for English Literacy (IEL).
The talk started with a question: “How would you react if you were not allowed to go to school for the rest of your life?”
Livni and Feldt followed with background information surrounding women’s education in Afghanistan. From 1994 to 1997, civil wars targeted women’s rights until 2001, when the Taliban–a political-militant organization–lost control over the government, giving women more freedom over their rights.
In 2021, the Taliban regained control over the government in Afghanistan, stripping women of their rights.
Women in Afghanistan are not allowed to be educated beyond the sixth grade level, nor leave their homes without a male’s permission.
Zuhal, who requested her last name be anonymous to protect her privacy, moved away from her family to receive an education at just 18 years old. However, when her father passed away, she returned to take care of her family.
She was able to become a math teacher while receiving many marriage proposals, as she was the average age for arranged marriages in Afghanistan.
She rejected all of them, knowing that she would have to give up her education, but one family promised to let her keep the job. “All promises were false,” Feldt said.
They took everything away from her, but she did not give up; she got a new phone to attend online classes at 4:30 a.m. offered by the IEL.
She was then offered a job as a teacher for the IEL and with that money she was able to move to Brazil.
“The day she moved to Brazil was the happiest day of her life,” Feldt said.
Students came to the talk both to learn something new and to explore difficult topics.
“I was really curious about (education for women in Afghanistan),” junior Sophia Delisser said. “(I found) Zuhal’s story very inspiring.”
Donating to trusted organizations, such as the Malala Fund and Women for Women in Afghanistan, can support progress in women’s education.
“Education is a right everyone deserves,” Feldt said.
