Education is a right … but Afghan girls are still shut out of schools

Shazia Ramzan was on sitting on a school bus, on her way home from an exam, when her world was brutally torn apart.

The 14-year-old was with friends Malala Yousafzai and Kainat Riaz when a Taliban gunman boarded the bus and shot them. Malala was targeted because of her outspoken support for girls’ education in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.

“My life changed forever,” said Shazia, who was struck in the neck and arm. “I was shot because I was receiving an education – and because I was a girl.”

That was 13 years ago. Malala went on to win a Nobel Peace Prize for her campaigning. Shazia and Kainat moved to the United Kingdom, studied at school then university and became passionate advocates for education, joining Theirworld’s Global Youth Ambassador programme.

Girls are still being denied an education by the ruling Taliban in Pakistan’s neighbour Afghanistan. Ahead of the fourth anniversary of a ban on girls attending secondary school, Shazia has spoken about the importance of schooling for every girl in the world.

Shazia said: “Education is a right. I deserve to have an education. Everyone deserves an education and nothing could have stopped me.

“I’m here today, fully educated. I have my degree from the University of Edinburgh. I realise the importance of education and want to help others all over the world access it.”

When the Afghan government collapsed on August 15, 2021, the Taliban immediately seized control of the country. Within weeks, they banned girls from education beyond primary school and women from going to university.

The ban has destroyed the hopes and dreams of millions of girls. When the new school year began in March this year, UNICEF estimated another 400,000 girls would miss out on secondary education – taking the total since 2021 to 2.2 million.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said: “If this ban persists until 2030, over four million girls will have been deprived of their right to education beyond primary school. If these capable, bright young girls continue to be denied an education, then the repercussions will last for generations. Afghanistan cannot leave half of its population behind.”

Theirworld President Justin van Fleet said: “The ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan is a violation of universal human rights. It deprives girls of their aspirations and dreams, and puts them in danger if they ever attempt to learn. It’s putting a generation’s entire future at risk.”

Apart from wrecking their future career prospects, depriving girls of education leaves them at risk of child marriage and early pregnancy, increased poverty and gender-based violence.

Although there has been an overall improvement in gender equality in education in recent decades, some parts of the world are falling behind. That includes Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria, which have seen attacks on girls’ learning and threats to close down schools.

The Taliban’s decision to ban education for girls after primary school dramatically unravelled decades of progress in Afghanistan. United Nations agencies and campaigners, including Theirworld, continue to advocate for Afghan girls to be allowed to return to secondary schools.

Meanwhile, Shazia amplifies the message that education unlocks opportunities for girls, allowing them to follow their dreams and fulfil their potential.

She said: “I have defeated all my thoughts, that maybe you’ll never go back to school, maybe you’ll never be anything. I have overcome them. And I want to help others who are having these thoughts know they can overcome them too.”