Rethinking women’s education in Kabul
Delhi could capitalise on Kabul’s need for educational infrastructure, including offering learning facilities and scholarships for girl students.
It’s rare for a Taliban functionary to publicly question the Kabul regime’s discriminatory policies towards women. So, how come Sher Abbas Stanikzai, a political deputy at the Afghan foreign ministry, said there was no reason to deny education to women and girls? After gaining office in 2021, the Taliban banned girls over the age of 12 from attending school and banned female teachers from teaching boys. This intervention, driven by a conservative reading of Islamic scriptures, has resulted in the denial of education to at least 1.4 million girls, according to a Unesco study. And the ban on women teachers has caused a massive shortage of teaching staff. Stanikzai, clearly, recognises the implications of this disastrous outcome. His welcome outburst suggests that: One, the Taliban is no monolith and there are sections within the Islamist outfit who harbour relatively liberal views on gender rights and are now willing to push back against the hardliners in power; two, there is a recognition within the Taliban leadership that the country may face global isolation — including denial of much-needed aid — if it persists with policies that discriminate against women.

Afghanistan has a rich tradition of women’s education, which was subverted when the Islamists came into prominence in the 1980s. The Taliban rule during 1996-2001 imposed harsh measures on women, denying them the right to education and employment, which was reversed when a West-supported liberal regime emerged in Kabul. Afghanistan is at a crossroads now. Taliban 2.0 wants to repair ties with the West and countries such as India – it needs friends and funds, especially since the regime’s relations with Pakistan have turned precarious. The Taliban has been seeking better ties with India in a reversal of its previous record of hostility. Delhi could capitalise on Kabul’s need for educational infrastructure, including offering learning facilities and scholarships for girl students.
