[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 37 (Tuesday, April 9, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E453-E454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                AFGHAN BACK TO SCHOOL DAY MARCH 23, 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2002

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, March 23, 2002 was a great day of 
celebration for women and girls in Afghanistan. March 23rd was the 
official first day back to school for children in Afghanistan. At least 
1.5 million children of elementary school age attended the first day 
back to school across the country. Children returned to classrooms for 
the first time in five

[[Page E454]]

years, and many stepped into classrooms for their first time ever.
  When the Taliban government took control of Afghanistan in 1996, it 
immediately imposed a repressive interpretation of Islamic law, 
forbidding girls from attending school and women from teaching. For 
five years Afghan girls were denied the basic right to education. Only 
32 percent of Afghanistan's 4.4 million children were enrolled in 
school in 1999. Almost all girls, 92 percent, were not in school.
  We have all heard of the courageous stories of former female teachers 
operating illegal schools out of their homes, teaching young girls 
basic math and writing. Women all over the country refused to give up 
their right to be educated and to educate. A survey conducted by UNICEF 
at the end of last year found there were almost 600 home-based schools 
in Kabul alone. The women and girls that kept learning through illegal 
home schools must be commended for their courage and bravery.
  This is a time of hope for women and girls in Afghanistan. Education 
is important to the life of all nations. March 23 marked a new 
beginning for Afghan women and girls, and a new beginning for the 
entire country.

                          ____________________