Afghanistan has had considerable achievements in education over the last two decades, but there still are some challenges adversely affecting the sector. Schools have remained closed in some parts of the country, depriving thousands of Afghan children of their right to education. Some Afghan children are missing out on this basic human right as economic constraints have forced them to child labor, while others are out of school because their schools have been shut down for various reasons. The improvement of household economy may require more time and resources, but the reopening of schools is plausible using the government’s available resources. It will provide access to education for school-aged children who are not going to school.
Now that the new school year is just weeks away, the government has to be fully prepared to open the closed schools. As a first step, the main reasons for closure of schools have to be identified in coordination and cooperation with people before the start of the new year. Local people know better why schools have been shut down in their regions, as well as ways to reopen them. Thus, local support is must in opening closed schools, and that is only possible when people become sure that the government can appropriately support the schools if they are reopened.
Most closed schools are either in areas contested or under Taliban control. Based on a reasonable plan, the government can encourage local people to talk to the Taliban to allow the schools to open. They can convince the militants that schools are the cradle for educating the future generations of the country, and their closure means the deprivation of generations of education, something people cannot tolerate. Also, the Taliban have to translate into action their claim and official stance of not creating barriers for education and closing schools. It is the only way to open the closed schools in many regions, thereby allowing Afghan children to enjoy their right to education.