WUNRN
Reuters - 01 January 2011
AFGHANISTAN - VIOLENCE, TRADITIONS,
KEEP
MILLIONS FROM ATTENDING SCHOOL -
GIRLS
KABUL, Jan 1 (Reuters) -
Worsening security and enduring conservative Islamic customs prevented almost
five million Afghan children from going to school in 2010, a government
official said on Saturday.
The strict Islamist Taliban
were ousted from power by U.S.-backed Afghan forces nearly a decade ago, but
many women are still not able to work outside the home and girls are prevented
from attending school in remote parts of the country.
Under the Taliban, women were
barred from accessing health care and education and made to wear burqas
covering them from head to toe. Only boys were allowed to attend school. Many
of these customs are still widespread.
Girls have had acid thrown in
their faces while walking to school by hardline Islamists who object to female
education. Several girls' schools, including some in
Asif Nang, spokesman for the
minister of education, said of 12 million eligible children, only seven million
attended school.
"This is an alarming
figure for us and the government is doing its best to pave the way for them,"
Nang told Reuters.
Violence is at its worst across
Nang said that aside from the
violence, the problem was made worse by a lack of female teachers in remote
parts of the country where families were reluctant to allow their daughters to
be taught by a male teacher.
"Out of 364 districts in
In large parts of southern and
eastern