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

Anonymous, Female Teacher

When the Taliban regime took over the country everything changed. Ministries closed, banks closed, public services were not available, schools were closed, business was paused, and universities also closed.

Mawlana, a male teacher for 3 years in a secondary boys’ school in Samangan

In recent months, the situation has not been easy. What gives me energy is seeing how important education is for Afghan citizens. I am totally in favour of girls being able to go to school and women being able to teach like men. I am a member of a trade union and I see what they do to defend teachers like me.

Zuhal was a female teacher for 10 years in a girls’ school in Kabul

We do not have a good social and educational life: my daughters are at home, and I am not allowed to teach. We are deprived of our legal rights.