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Karzai warns continued ban on girls’ education will deepen Afghanistan’s foreign dependence
Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan, said in recent remarks that the continuation of the ban on girls’ education and the ongoing closure of schools and universities to them will weaken national capacity, increase severe need, and lead Afghanistan toward dependence on foreign countries.
Karzai said in a statement: “While I consider universal education vital, I once again emphasize that the doors of schools and universities must be opened to girls as soon as possible. By providing opportunities for education and learning to young people—both girls and boys—the country’s problems and needs can be resolved by the capable hands of its own children, and Afghanistan can be freed from external dependence.”
Karzai made these remarks in response to a recent report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). According to the report, by 2030 Afghanistan will face a shortage of more than 20,000 teachers and over 5,000 female healthcare workers, and the number of girls deprived of education will exceed two million.