Afghanistan: education as a threat to life

19 Dec, 2006 11:08 / Updated 17 years ago

Despite their overthrow in 2001, the Taliban still continue to impose bans and rules in small villages in Afghanistan. For instance, education for females and non-religious education for everyone is opposed by Taliban militants.

However, many people are finding enough courage to resist the underhand regime. Among them are teachers who provide education to girls, sometimes doing it at the cost of their own lives.  A report from the Afghani Education ministry shows in 2006 alone about 20 teachers have been killed and more than a 100 schools set on fire in different parts of Afghanistan. The state of insecurity has forced many families to stop sending their daughters to school. The risks teachers face are a major issue for many international organisations based in the country who provide staff for female schools around Afghanistan.