Alternative educational activities and programs for female students banned from formal education in Afghanistan

Abdul Qahar Sarwari and Hamedi Mohd Adnan
Universiti Malaya, Malaysia

Our descriptive survey assesses the possible alternative educational opportunities for female students deprived of formal education in Afghanistan. Our sample comprised 94 female participants, with 36 (38.3%) being high school students, 32 (34%) being high school graduates, and 26 (27.7%) being university students. Based on the results, the great majority, 89 (87.2%) were participating in at least one alternative educational program; seven of these were already married and involved in their married life; and five others could not participate because of financial problems. Islamic religious schools, tailoring training, English language courses, and some free online educational programs were the main alternative educational activities and programs that participants were involved in. These alternative educational programs are provided by the private sector, with participants required to pay a monthly fee. The Taliban did not provide any alternative educational programs for female students in Afghanistan. Based on the results, more than half (58) of the participants participated in more than one alternative educational program. Their participation in alternative educational programs helped them to be connected with other female students, escape from loneliness, and improve their overall wellbeing. However, in 2024 the Taliban banned female students above 12 years old from going to English language and modern sciences courses. Currently the only options for them are religious courses and Internet-mediated online programs.
[ PDF full text for this article ]

Authors: Dr Abdul Qahar Sarwari (corresponding author) is a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Department of Media and Communication Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dr Sarwari obtained his PhD in Human Communication and Humanities Technology from University Malaysia Pahang, his Masters degree in English Language and Professional Communication also from University Malaysia Pahang, and his Bachelor degree in Journalism from Kabul University, Afghanistan. He is a former Chancellor of Al-Beruni University, Afghanistan. ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8473-5167 Email: qaharesarwari@gmail.com Dr Hamedi Mohd Adnan is Professor and former Head, Department of Media and Communication Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya (UM). He obtained his PhD in Magazine Publishing from Universiti Malaya, his MA in Book Publishing and Book Marketing, and his BA in Creative and Descriptive Writing also from Universiti Malaya. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7096-5225 Email: hamedi@um.edu.my Please cite as: Sarwari, A. Q. & Mohd Adnan, H. (2024). Alternative educational activities and programs for female students banned from formal education in Afghanistan. Issues in Educational Research, 34(3), . http://www.iier.org.au/iier34/sarwari.pdf