By: Masouda Qarizada
Afghanistan is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and conservative country. This diversity has not only affected the behavior of political elites but has also permeated in deep social layers.
The idea of ethical-racial supremacy has permeated in various dimensions of Afghanistan’s culture, which is still somehow ruling on the country. Such through and vision have been taught to various generations in textbooks at schools and universities of the country, as if some races and ethnicities have somehow superiority over others, and this superiority can also have a great impact on political and national management.
When school textbooks are mixed with such thoughts and visions, the consequences will be long lasting because the children enter schools with their white and pure mentality but later become racist people who cannot easily have such vision and behavior towards other citizens of the country.
The racist and fanatical religious way of thinking has led to an unjust adjustment in the history and culture of Afghanistan as some of the cultural and historical honors of the country have been completely ignored and instead futile efforts were made to replace new historical and cultural values.
These efforts have caused that Afghan school students have been educated in a way that do not take into account the cultural and ethnic diversity of Afghanistan and are merely fanatical racists who are less satisfied with anything less than totalitarianism.
Afghanistan, along with other countries in the world, enjoys universal and human values such as equality, political and cultural freedom. The country is not trying to end all ethnical and tribal superiority like other countries of the world.
Convention against Discrimination in Education, ratified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 14 September 1960 has banned any discrimination in the education system and emphasized equal opportunities and services in the field of education. Article 1 of the Convention is clearly stating that the term of discrimination including any distinction, deprivation, restriction or priority based on race, color, gender, language, religion and political beliefs or any belief is banned.
In Afghanistan’s constitution, ensuring equal rights to education for every Afghan citizen through the growth and development of a balanced and fair education system, strengthening the Islamic spirit of patriotism, national unity, preserving independence and defending territorial integrity, preserving national interests, and supporting the system have been considered as significant.
But the Afghan Ministry of Education as an administrative institution in the field of education plays an important role in human, cultural, social and economic development of society. Today, our students complain in public and private schools as they are facing with discrimination. It is time for the Ministry of Education to find a way of solution end all these discrimination in education institutions in the country.
