Pashtana Durrani and her NGO Learn Afghanistan are battling the odds to deliver education to Afghan girls. Courtesy Pashtana Durrani
Pashtana Durrani and her NGO Learn Afghanistan are battling the odds to deliver education to Afghan girls. Courtesy Pashtana Durrani
Pashtana Durrani and her NGO Learn Afghanistan are battling the odds to deliver education to Afghan girls. Courtesy Pashtana Durrani
Pashtana Durrani and her NGO Learn Afghanistan are battling the odds to deliver education to Afghan girls. Courtesy Pashtana Durrani

The Afghan woman running covert schools under the Taliban's nose


  • English
  • Arabic

If 25-year-old Pashtana Durrani thought running schools in Afghanistan was tough in 2020, three years later, her work has become almost impossible.

She nevertheless spends every waking hour hustling, constantly looking for new ways that the three girls' schools run by her charity, Learn Afghanistan, can evade detection.

In the chaotic days after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and the swift return to Taliban rule, Ms Durrani, who has been an outspoken critic of the militant group, was threatened and forced into hiding.

She later left the country to protect her family, and many of her colleagues and staff followed suit.

Despite assurances to the international community to the contrary, the Taliban have been rolling back advances in women's rights. Most girls are barred from attending secondary school and women are no longer allowed to teach, attend university or engage in many professions.

The UN said on Wednesday that Afghanistan is now the world's most repressive country for women and girls.

Watching from afar, Ms Durrani says each new restriction on women's rights has made her more determined to keep Learn Afghanistan open.

After agreeing that their work “was more important now than ever before”, she said staff at Learn Afghanistan regrouped and “discussed many options on how to continue safely and sustainably, drawing plans and scenarios”.

Community backing

  • Schoolgirls Marwa Ayoubi (R) and Madina Mohammadi study at home in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Taliban have ordered girls' secondary schools to shut only hours after they had reopened. All photos: AFP
    Schoolgirls Marwa Ayoubi (R) and Madina Mohammadi study at home in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Taliban have ordered girls' secondary schools to shut only hours after they had reopened. All photos: AFP
  • Raihana studies at home in Kunduz province. Education ministers offered no coherent explanation even as officials held a ceremony in the capital to mark the start of the academic year, and said it was a matter for the country's leadership.
    Raihana studies at home in Kunduz province. Education ministers offered no coherent explanation even as officials held a ceremony in the capital to mark the start of the academic year, and said it was a matter for the country's leadership.
  • The Taliban insisted that pupils aged 12 to 19 would be segregated, even though most Afghan schools are already same-sex and operate according to Islamic principles.
    The Taliban insisted that pupils aged 12 to 19 would be segregated, even though most Afghan schools are already same-sex and operate according to Islamic principles.
  • School girl Alina Nazari (R) holds a book after the Taliban ordered girls' secondary schools in Afghanistan to shut.
    School girl Alina Nazari (R) holds a book after the Taliban ordered girls' secondary schools in Afghanistan to shut.
  • Marwa Ayoubi was sent home in Kandahar, while crestfallen girls at Zarghona High School in the capital Kabul tearfully packed up their belongings after teachers halted lessons.
    Marwa Ayoubi was sent home in Kandahar, while crestfallen girls at Zarghona High School in the capital Kabul tearfully packed up their belongings after teachers halted lessons.
  • The latest education policy reversal by the hardline leaders sparked heartbreak and confusion.
    The latest education policy reversal by the hardline leaders sparked heartbreak and confusion.
  • The U-turn came shortly after thousands of girls had resumed lessons for the first time since August, when the Taliban seized control imposed harsh restrictions on women.
    The U-turn came shortly after thousands of girls had resumed lessons for the first time since August, when the Taliban seized control imposed harsh restrictions on women.
  • Schoolgirl Alina Nazari said she fears that the Taliban will shut down all formal education for girls, as they did in their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.
    Schoolgirl Alina Nazari said she fears that the Taliban will shut down all formal education for girls, as they did in their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.
  • Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Pakistani Taliban assassination attempt when she was 15, tweeted: ‘They will keep finding excuses to stop girls from learning – because they are afraid of educated girls and empowered women.'
    Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Pakistani Taliban assassination attempt when she was 15, tweeted: ‘They will keep finding excuses to stop girls from learning – because they are afraid of educated girls and empowered women.'
  • Mohammed Anwar Nazari and his daughter Alina give an interview. Even if schools do reopen fully, barriers to girls returning to education remain, with many families suspicious of the Taliban and reluctant to allow their daughters outside.
    Mohammed Anwar Nazari and his daughter Alina give an interview. Even if schools do reopen fully, barriers to girls returning to education remain, with many families suspicious of the Taliban and reluctant to allow their daughters outside.
  • ‘What will be our future?’ schoolgirl Qahera Mohammadi asks from her home in Panjshir province.
    ‘What will be our future?’ schoolgirl Qahera Mohammadi asks from her home in Panjshir province.

Within a month of the Taliban takeover, Learn Afghanistan — which was founded in 2018 — resumed operations, albeit underground.

“We were invited by communities we had previously worked with to resume some of the schools in their homes and offices,” Ms Durrani said.

“We didn’t have any money, initially, since all our accounts were blocked, but it was heartwarming to see how community elders extended support to help us get back on our feet. They valued the work we did with them.”

Communities are making huge sacrifices to support girls' education. Every penny counts in a nation in which the UN Development Programme estimates almost all people are now living in poverty.

Ms Durrani still faces challenges in paying her staff due to international sanctions and restrictions on the banking sector in Afghanistan. But the team finds unique ways of getting funds to those who need them through a network of traditional money transfer agents called hawalas or transfers to allies of the organisation.

Afghan women stage a protest for their rights to mark International Women's Day, in Kabul on March 8, 2023. AFP
Afghan women stage a protest for their rights to mark International Women's Day, in Kabul on March 8, 2023. AFP

Staff inside and outside Afghanistan teach classes for almost 400 female pupils online, and women and girls who would not otherwise be able to receive an education gather in discreet locations, set up with computers, internet access and generators.

“We persist because if we don't then we will be burnt and perish,” pupil Qamar Parsa said in a video shared by Ms Durrani.

“Even though they have limited us, put decrees against us, we continued. We are teaching ourselves that education should not be forgotten, humanity should not be forgotten.”

Her classmate Farida Mekzad added: “The only way to survive this, to defeat the enemy is with the power of the pen.”

Both pupils enrolled for courses with Learn Afghanistan following the announcement of the ban on girls' secondary schools in the hope of continuing their education.

“Even though it has been hard to leave the house every day, I am so happy for this opportunity to study and remain hopeful,” Farida said, urging other girls not to lose faith in the power of education.

Ms Durrani's pupils have diverse ambitions and many aspire for careers in Stem. Many are enrolled in courses on computer programming and similar fields of study that can help them be financially independent.

But both teachers and their ambitious pupils run the risk of arrest or kidnapping.

“We have to constantly change locations; we’ve moved our schools three times this past year because our location was leaked to the Taliban,” Ms Durrani said.

“We keep improvising as we go, because this is important.”

A legacy of learning

A note from Ms Durrani's cousin to authorities in Kabul, before the fall to the Taliban.
A note from Ms Durrani's cousin to authorities in Kabul, before the fall to the Taliban.

Ms Durrani’s introduction to education activism began at an early age, with her family's motto being: “You can go hungry, but not without a day of learning.”

Her parents and aunts operated girls’ schools in refugee camps in Pakistan, going door-to-door in attempt to convince parents to send their daughters to school.

“As a child, I believed that this was normal, that everyone’s father ran a school in their house and their aunt went around making families in the neighbourhood send their girls to school,” she said.

She was in for a big shock when she moved back to Afghanistan in 2013 at the age of 16 and realised that this was not the case in many families.

“On my very first night back, I learnt from my cousins that their whole district — with over four hundred families — doesn’t have a single school for girls. My immediate response was, why didn’t you open it up in your homes, like my father did in the camps?” she recalled.

But eventually, Ms Durrani came to realise that, apart from a few well-meaning if scattered efforts, women’s education was not a priority for local or even the national government.

“At one point, one of my cousins came to me and said, ‘I want to be just like you’; because I was educated, I had my laptop and travelled to Kabul for conferences, but most of all, I had a supportive father,” said Ms Durrani .

Before she left for one of these conferences, her cousin wrote her a note to take along with her. It contained her wish for the government to open a school for girls in her district so that they could continue their education.

The government did not respond to the message, but it got Ms Durrani on the path to ensure that girls in her district who wished to study had the option to do so — starting with her own cousin.

“I started tutoring her, I would download course materials for her to learn from, and videos of classes to help her study,” said Ms Durrani.

“She was so dedicated and hardworking and eventually we got her to move to Kandahar city to enrol in a public school.”

'The Batman'

Stars:Robert Pattinson

Director:Matt Reeves

Rating: 5/5

Tips%20for%20travelling%20while%20needing%20dialysis
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EInform%20your%20doctor%20about%20your%20plans.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAsk%20about%20your%20treatment%20so%20you%20know%20how%20it%20works.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPay%20attention%20to%20your%20health%20if%20you%20travel%20to%20a%20hot%20destination.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPlan%20your%20trip%20well.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?

The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The biog:

Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, basic Russian 

Favourite food: Pizza 

Best food on the road: rice

Favourite colour: silver 

Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda

Favourite biking destination: Canada 

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

Education reform in Abu Dhabi

 

The emirate’s public education system has been in a constant state of change since the New School Model was launched in 2010 by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The NSM, which is also known as the Abu Dhabi School Model, transformed the public school curriculum by introducing bilingual education starting with students from grades one to five. Under this new curriculum, the children spend half the day learning in Arabic and half in English – being taught maths, science and English language by mostly Western educated, native English speakers. The NSM curriculum also moved away from rote learning and required teachers to develop a “child-centered learning environment” that promoted critical thinking and independent learning. The NSM expanded by one grade each year and by the 2017-2018 academic year, it will have reached the high school level. Major reforms to the high school curriculum were announced in 2015. The two-stream curriculum, which allowed pupils to elect to follow a science or humanities course of study, was eliminated. In its place was a singular curriculum in which stem -- science, technology, engineering and maths – accounted for at least 50 per cent of all subjects. In 2016, Adec announced additional changes, including the introduction of two levels of maths and physics – advanced or general – to pupils in Grade 10, and a new core subject, career guidance, for grades 10 to 12; and a digital technology and innovation course for Grade 9. Next year, the focus will be on launching a new moral education subject to teach pupils from grades 1 to 9 character and morality, civic studies, cultural studies and the individual and the community.

BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:

Ajax 2-3 Tottenham

Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate

Final: June 1, Madrid

JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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The biog

Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981

Profession: Driver

Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)

Favourite drink: chai karak

Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”

The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15

New Zealand 15
Tries: Laumape, J Barrett
Conversions: B Barrett
Penalties: B Barrett

British & Irish Lions 15
Penalties: Farrell (4), Daly

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

Price: From Dh59,700 

 

On sale: now  

 
World Cup final

Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region

Company%20profile
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Updated: March 13, 2023, 11:25 AM