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Defeat Taliban by Educating Afghans
September 16, 2006
BY SURAYA SADEED
There is a furious war being waged in Afghanistan. No, it's not only the military war between U.S. and NATO forces against al-Qaida and the Taliban; it's also the war between the forces of knowledge and the forces of ignorance and fear, and right now ignorance and fear are winning. Perhaps you've read in the papers or heard on the news of schools being burned to the ground; of teachers and school principals being murdered, and of children, especially girls, and their families being threatened to stay home, or else. It's all true.
How did this happen? Afghanistan was the country we supposedly liberated in late 2001. You remember the scenes: women returning to work; the 2004 Parliamentary elections; hundreds of new schools built; thousands of new teachers hired; record numbers of children attending school. It happened because we wanted very much to show the world that we are winning the war on terrorism, and what could be a better example of that success than women and children given the opportunity of education? But, the fact is, we didn't finish the job in rebuilding Afghanistan's educational infrastructure in a way that would lead to security and sustainability. For too long, our narrowly defined military strategy has been to hunt down and kill or capture al-Qaida and Taliban forces while overlooking the establishment of the fundamental human security needs of children and their families. This strategic oversight has cost us dearly.
We can point to several critical mistakes along the way that have led to this crisis: re-arming the warlords who never cared for education and security in the first place and paying them astronomical sums of money to hunt down Osama bin Laden -- a plan that has succeeded only in lining their pockets with cash and fueling the out-of-control narcotics industry; relying too much on U.S. military Provincial Reconstruction Teams, which have actually increased hostilities and insecure conditions in many parts of the country; failing to consistently involve local community leaders, elders and parents in the building and running of schools, which has led to mistrust of those who finance the schools and programs; and perhaps most of all, failing to deliver on so many educational and other development promises, which has fueled anger and resentment.
How does one really win the war against terrorism? The question itself is part of the problem, for terrorism is only the symptom of ignorance and fear. Knowledge is the weapon we should be focusing our strategy around.
There is a reason why the Taliban, warlords and others are burning schools, beating and killing teachers (often in front of students), and threatening children and their families. In their hearts, they are far more terrified of the thought of millions of educated Afghan girls and boys growing up, becoming proud, productive citizens and future leaders of their country than they are of any American special forces, NATO or the ill-equipped Afghan army. They realize that if knowledge wins, it will mean their days will come to an end.
That is why it's more important than ever that we support a sound educational strategy in Afghanistan. If an Afghan girl is willing to risk her life to learn, what are we willing to do to help her? She doesn't want much, just a safe place, a few notebooks and pencils. Let's make that commitment now so we can give knowledge the upper hand against ignorance and fear.
Suraya Sadeed is founder and executive director of Help the Afghan Children, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization providing educational and humanitarian services to children in Afghanistan since 1993.
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