Education International

ATROAfghan Teachers' Rights Observatory

Testimony

Roya, a female teacher in a boys’ school in the Badakhashan province

I am from the Herat province, yet currently I am teaching male students in a school in Badakhshan.

Unfortunately, our educational environment lacks basic facilities and textbooks. Teachers are burdened with 30 hours of dull and monotonous classes daily, with no desks or books available.

The school infrastructure is limited. Economic conditions are challenging for everyone, with teachers receiving little assistance, facing unemployment, and struggling to make ends meet with insufficient livelihood.

Beyond the classroom, families neglect the division of household chores, and students, engaged in work outside school, struggle to focus on their studies.

More Testimonies

Seyed, a male teacher for over 20 years in a secondary boys’ school in Herat

I was happy when I was teaching the upper classes, but I have now been at home for the past two years. I firmly believe that girls should have the right to education and female teachers should be allowed to teach boys.

Zahra, a female teacher in a secondary girls’ school in Nangarhar

High officials impose significant restrictions on us. Female teachers in particular have no personal freedoms. Sometimes I doubt whether our profession is respected.

Sherin, female teacher for 7 years in a boys’ school in Herat

Female teachers like me now face the challenging situation where girls' schools have been closed, and female teachers have been relocated to distant areas. The increased pressure and the loss of privileges associated with my previous teaching career have left me very disillusioned.