Education

Public education is a concept that arrived in Afghanistan very recently and never had a chance to take hold. It wasn't until 1969 that the government legislated free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 7 and 15, and the country had only 10 years to implement the legislation before the Soviet invasion. The actual provision of schools, teachers, and books lagged far behind the legislation. It is estimated that only one-third of school-age Afghan children ever attended school during the 1980s.

Before 1969, schools existed, but whether a child attended or not was completely up to the family. Some families thought it was important and took great efforts to get their children educated, including sending them away to relatives if local schooling wasn't available. Other families provided religious training for their sons (mostly rote memorization of the Koran in Arabic, taught by the local mullah). Still other families did not send their children to school at all.

It was possible to get a substantial education, however. There were secondary schools in urban areas and a university in Kabul, and a determined family with enough resources could provide their boys and girls with an extensive education. Since all education above the primary level was in Dari, all educated Afghans are fluent in that language, regardless of their ethnic group.

The Soviets were interested in building up the education system and extending education into the rural areas, but their efforts were soundly rejected. It was reported that in at least one area the Afghans responded to the establishment of Soviet-backed schools by killing the teachers, ostensibly because boys and girls were expected to sit in the same classroom. After the Soviets withdrew, what was left of the education system fell completely apart in the civil war. Kabul University closed, its faculty members dispersing to Pakistan, Iran, or the West. Children were either taught at home, in the local mosque, or not at all.

Under the Taliban, secular education did not exist. Boys received religious education, but girls were forbidden education altogether. Parents who wanted their children educated had to arrange for private tutoring in informal groups at home.

Although Afghans in the United States have a higher mean level of education than Southeast Asian and African refugee groups, many women and elders have had little or no formal education. In Islam, however, education is more highly valued than wealth. The children of earlier refugees and immigrants are college educated or currently enrolled in higher education, and young adults are now entering the professional sector.

The Cultural Orientation Project--http://www.culturalorientation.net, for more information contact sanja@cal.org
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