Name: Shaheera
Region: Takhar and Kabul
I am originally from Takhar province and currently reside in Kabul. I got married at the age of 13 and now have children and grandchildren. But the longing for education and learning has always remained in my heart. That’s why I’ve always tried to ensure my children receive an education. My youngest daughter was in her second year of medical school when the Taliban closed the university doors. My husband was a teacher during Dr. Najib’s government and taught in schools for forty years. He laid the foundation for two schools in the districts of Farkhar and Warsaj and made valuable contributions to the education and upbringing of the country
But today, instead of education, our boys are being trained for suicide missions in schools. Core subjects have been removed from the curriculum, professional teachers have been dismissed, and now it’s the boys who are being mistreated. Just yesterday, my son returned from school with tears in his eyes, his uniform torn, and his face covered in dust. He studies at one of Kabul’s schools. When his father and I anxiously asked what had happened, we found out that his uniform had been torn by the school principal on Taliban orders. The principal, who follows Taliban directives, beat my son and expelled him from school because the Taliban have ordered that male students must wear traditional local clothing and turbans to school. The principal punished my son for wearing a school uniform.
My son cried and said he no longer wanted to attend school because he had been humiliated and beaten in front of his peers. His pride was shattered, and he lost all motivation. His elderly father, who had never treated his students this way in his entire career, took him to a tailor to have the Taliban-mandated uniform made.
My son is in the 9th grade and at a sensitive stage of adolescence. Imagine how deeply a teenage boy’s pride is wounded when he is publicly punished and humiliated in front of his classmates. Is this level of violence and abuse by the government and schools something the people can endure? Is this why so many young boys and girls have turned to suicide in recent years? Is this why so many youths are fleeing the country through illegal means?
Last year, the son of our neighbor, who had just secured a job in one of the ministries, was dismissed. Despite all his efforts, he couldn’t find another job. He attempted to migrate to Iran illegally and was killed at the border. His family never even recovered his body. Can you see how the Taliban are driving people to their deaths? The people are exhausted, and now it is the students who are suffering.
As a mother, I hope this situation ends soon. I am genuinely worried that our children will be indoctrinated in schools and one day become suicide bombers. Although my son and most of his friends are disillusioned with school and reject Taliban ideology, we have no other choice. We cannot leave our sons without a future, wandering the streets.
