Schools in Afghanistan Disrupted by Ongoing Attacks and Killings

A July 30 press release states that, according to the United Nations (UN) mission in Afghanistan, 2007 has seen some of the worst attacks of violence against schools, including threats against both students and teachers, since the Taliban fell in 2001.

An online article published in June 2007 in Education Week states that insurgents in Afghanistan have made schools one of their primary targets, preventing at least 200,000 children from school attendance. The insurgents have torched 187 schools, killing 85 students and more than 40 teachers. The threats are often in the form of letters left either at the schools or along students' and teachers' routes, warning them not to go to school and threatening them with violence if they do.

The press release says that, according to the UN Children's Fund's (UNICEF) estimates, 262 of 740 schools in the southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul are no longer able to provide an education to their students because of the violence and threats of violence against them. However, according to the article in Education Week, UNICEF has been hard at work in the area to provide security solutions for schools, such as a rapid response when incidents do arise.

In June, the article states, two girls were killed outside a school near Kabul when gunmen riding a motorbike shot them. In 2006, a rocket struck a school in Kunar province, killing six children.

Nilab Mobarez is the information officer with the UN Asssitance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The press release says Mobarez told reporters during a press conference that attacks on female teachers and students have resulted in at least four deaths and six injuries so far in 2007. "Over 30 attacks against schools, many involving the torching or blowing up of school premises have been reported in all parts of the country from January until June," he said. "UNAMA appeals to all parties concerned for the resumption of normal education activities across the country, particularly in the south, so that boys and girls can exercise their right to education in a peaceful and secure environment."

Catherin Mbengue is UNICEF's representative in Afghanistan. She echoed Mobarez's concerns about the violent attacks and the intimidation that is keeping families from sending their children to school. In the press release she says: "Schools of course are a visible sign of reconstruction and progress, and there are those who perhaps fear such progress." Further, she confirmed that UNICEF is prepared to do whatever they can to "keep children learning in safety."

Despite the threats and violence, the thirst for learning is still evident. Joshua Gross is a spokesperson for the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington. In the Education Week article he said that more than 3,200 schools have been rebuilt, in addition to 50,000 teachers trained and 60 million textbooks published - all since 2002. In several instances, Gross said, local people are working to keep the schools open and doing what they can to police them. "When schools are burned down, students might sometimes meet under a tent, or under a tree, for their classes," Mr. Gross said, because there is a "hunger and thirst for children to go to school."

Sources:

Press release, Attacks against Afghan schools continue to disrupt education - UN; http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/YSAR-75LSLH?OpenDocument

Article, Targeted for Violence, Schools Still Making Strides in Afghanistan; http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/06/20/42afghan.h26.html