Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Poverty - An Obstacle to Education

The prolonged political crisis and insecurity in Afghanistan destroyed the economic infrastructures and led the society towards a complete poverty. It destroyed the Afghan's life especially the new generation. During this devastating war families lost their financial security, displaced and lost their breadwinner.

Afghan's traditional culture and social norms prevent women from leaving their homes and still it is not culturally acceptable for women to work outside the home. According to Afghan's culture when a woman has been widowed or her husband is unable to work due to injury or illness, support of the family falls to other male relatives.

When there is no extended family support, or it is insufficient to support a large family children become the breadwinners. So the child labor can enhance a family's well being. As a result of war Afghan families lost their breadwinners and a great number of children are employed and work in shops, as street vendors, in vehicle repairer, metal workshops, tailoring, and farming.

In major cities, it is being seen that the children are on street shine shoes, beg, and collect and sell scrap metal, paper, and firewood.

Because of the economic pressure and poverty according to a repost over 30 percent of primary school age children have been denied from school and getting education and they are working and are often the sole source of income for their families.  

The poor families are unable to send their children to school because they have no alternative opportunity cost of potential earnings by their children. Although according to Afghanistan law, the workers must be at least 15 years old to work.

But because of all these problems the laws remain unenforced it can't be put in practice. On the other hand, education is the basic right of every human being and Afghan children are deprived of their most basic right.

In addition education is accepted as essential to human development. The improvement of every society depends on its education and the society is built by educated people. Now insecurity is another hurdle which prevents Afghan children especially girls from going school and becoming educated.

Due to the insecurity most Afghan family can't dare to send the children to schools. It is really a big threat for Afghan's economic growth and human development. Afghan government and its international partners have provided the educational opportunities of all children because the education is the key to breaking out the cycle of poverty.  

Afghanistan's future will be compromised if its children miss out education because they are the future builder of Afghanistan. These future builders of Afghanistan on the streets are being treated rudely and they are likely to be filled with hate and deprivation.

What can they do for Afghanistan if they join the insurgents and killers and drug traffickers?  Surely, poverty is the first factor in contributing to child labor, and education is the ground floor for improvement of a society. 

Therefore investment in education, security, and social services on a grand scale is required in order to ensure an inclusive education system and put an end to child labor in Afghanistan. It should be the top priority of Afghan government and its international backers.