Afghanistan schools attacked, many remain closed

At least 10 schools have been attacked by unidentified gunmen in different parts of Afghanistan in the past three weeks, Ministry of Education (MoE) officials told IRIN. The armed assailants are believed to be associated with Taliban insurgents. MoE statistics show there were 2,450 “terrorist” attacks on schools from March 2006 to February 2008. In the same period 235 schoolchildren, students, teachers, and other education workers were killed, and 222 wounded.

About 500 schools have remained closed, particularly in the volatile south where Taliban insurgency has also hindered humanitarian and development access. Up to 300,000 students cannot go to school because of insecurity and threats, an MoE spokesman said. Taliban insurgents oppose female education and say the school curriculum is “un-Islamic,” a charge rejected by the Afghan government and moderate Islamic scholars. Read the article in IRIN News online.