Afghan Taliban 'end' opposition to educating girls

[tantalus]

The Taliban are ready to drop their ban on schooling girls in Afghanistan, the country's education minister has said.

Farooq Wardak told the UK's Times Educational Supplement a "cultural change" meant the Taliban were "no more opposing girls' education".

The Taliban - who have been fighting the Kabul government - have made no public comment on the issue.

He told the TES: "What I am hearing at the very upper policy level of the Taliban is that they are no more opposing education and also girls' education.

Mr Wardak's words suggest the negotiations have gone beyond issues like the release of prisoners to touch on areas of government policy, correspondents say.

However, the education minister admitted historical opposition to schooling extended beyond the Taliban to the "deepest pockets" of Afghan society.

full article - BBC News - Afghan Taliban 'end' opposition to educating girls

interesting and very significant if true imo, this does indicate a potential softening of cultural policy and indicates a desire and acknowledgement by the Taliban that to come into the mainstream afgahn society they will have to become more liberal. Frankly I have no time for their oppressive and extremist views but I suppose this is encouraging, especially if they cant be defeated by military means...and an agreement is the only option

What is the true support that the taliban receive on the ground regarding such policies as no education for women? and what - if any - is the spatial pattern across the country regarding such support in the recent past and present?

there must be a major conflict culturally when considering pre and post invasion, especially for women

[Kasrkin]

there must be a major conflict culturally when considering pre and post invasion, especially for women

You might be surprised to know that the overthrow of the Taliban didn't really affect that much change in the condition of your average Afghan woman. The widely held expectation that Afghan women would free themselves of the niqab for instance didn't come about and the percentage of Afghan girls allowed access to education is still dismayingly small. The Taliban were enforcers of some extreme Afghan cultural tendencies but Afghan cultural tendencies nevertheless.

[Julie]

Well, isn't that just sooo nice and giving of the Taliban !!!

[tantalus]

Originally posted by kasrkin
You might be surprised to know that the overthrow of the Taliban didn't really affect that much change in the condition of your average Afghan woman. The widely held expectation that Afghan women would free themselves of the niqab for instance didn't come about and the percentage of Afghan girls allowed access to education is still dismayingly small

yet the article states

"During the Taliban era the percentage of girls of the one million students that we had was 0%. The percentage of female teachers was 0%. Today 38% of our students and 30% of our teachers are female."

Originally posted by kasrkin
but Afghan cultural tendencies nevertheless

.
I figured that this may be part of the story (hence my op questions), although I wonder how public opinion is spread presently, ofcourse you may be right for the most regard in that women's lifes havent changed drastically, but the issue is not stationery, its early days and I expect there willl be a cultural conflict between new and old as time goes on, and as the people of Afghanistan shape and rebuild their country

[Kasrkin]

"During the Taliban era the percentage of girls of the one million students that we had was 0%. The percentage of female teachers was 0%. Today 38% of our students and 30% of our teachers are female."

True, these figures are an improvement, but they are just a percentage of the one million children with access to education. The overall percentage of Afghan girls lacking access to school would be much lower.

its early days and I expect there willl be a cultural conflict between new and old as the time goes on, and as the people of Afghanistan shape and rebuild their country

I hope you're right, but I would caution that it has been a decade since the Taliban were ousted from power. Change will be very gradual to say the least.

[tankie]

Heh heh loads n loads of tallybunnie M Thatchers to contend with soon .