Afghan girls, barred from school, seek education through TV classes

Every morning after breakfast, Afghan teenager Prina Muradi turns on the television - not to watch films or cartoons, but to study maths, science and literature.

Muradi, 16, has not been to school since 2021 when the Taliban seized the country and barred girls from secondary education.

But now she is racing to catch up, thanks to a satellite television channel that is broadcasting the entire Afghan curriculum from France for girls who are shut out of school.

"I've regained hope," Muradi said from her home in the capital Kabul. "This is a battle against ignorance."

Begum TV is the brainchild of Swiss-Afghan media entrepreneur Hamida Aman, founder of the Begum Organization for Women (BOW), a non-profit supporting girls and women in Afghanistan.

Last November, BOW launched the Begum Academy, a digital platform hosting some 8,500 videos covering Afghanistan's secondary school syllabus in both Dari and Pashto, the country's official languages.

But most girls do not have internet access so Aman set up Begum TV in March to reach a broader audience.

"The most powerful medium in Afghanistan is television," Aman told Context.

"We're not here to interfere in politics or bring down the regime. Our mission is to help our sisters in their daily struggles and to support our kids in education."

Afghanistan is the only country in the world that excludes girls from school.

The Taliban have also barred women from university and most jobs, and curbed their freedom of movement, echoing the harsh restrictions imposed when they first took power in 1996.

New laws banning women from speaking or showing their faces in public have sparked fresh international outrage.

A teacher is filmed delivering a geometry lesson for Begum Academy. Begum TV/Handout via Thomson Reuters Foundation

A teacher is filmed delivering a geometry lesson for Begum Academy. Begum TV/Handout via Thomson Reuters Foundation

Underground schools

Girls' education made major strides after the first Taliban rule ended in 2001, with increasing numbers pursuing degrees and careers – progress that has now been eroded.

"We were completely heartbroken," said Muradi, recalling the day she was turned away from school.

"I'd wanted to become a lawyer or journalist. But with the collapse of Afghanistan, it felt as if my dreams collapsed as well."

The school ban has already impacted about 1.4 million girls, according to UNESCO, the United Nation's educational and cultural agency, with the number soaring every year as more students finish primary level.

In 2022, Muradi's family moved from northern Afghanistan to Kabul so she could attend underground schools secretly operating in the capital.

But her parents were always worried she might get caught.

The launch of Begum TV has provided a lifeline, allowing her to study at home.

As her two brothers head off to school, Muradi takes notes in front of the television.

She follows the same national curriculum as her brothers - although lessons are often interrupted by power outages.

Her favourite subjects are maths and Dari literature.

Begum TV host Getee Azami presents her show Kasp wa kar, dedicated to supporting women’s entrepreneurship, from Paris. Begum TV/Handout via Thomson Reuters Foundation

Begum TV host Getee Azami presents her show Kasp wa kar, dedicated to supporting women’s entrepreneurship, from Paris. Begum TV/Handout via Thomson Reuters Foundation

Pressure on media

UNESCO media expert Antonia Eser-Ruperti said that while the media could never replace a classroom, it was playing an increasingly important role in plugging educational gaps.

A number of radio and TV stations run some educational content, but Begum is the only outlet broadcasting the full curriculum specifically aimed at girls.

Ironically, the inspiration came from the Taliban themselves, Aman said.

Five months before the former insurgent group's return to power, BOW had launched Radio Begum, an FM station for women and girls that included educational and entertainment programmes.

Although the Taliban have not criticised Radio Begum's educational output, they have put pressure on the station for some of its other content.

A government official told Aman the authorities had to act, but mentioned that if Begum were a satellite broadcaster, they could do nothing.

"That's how the idea came to me," she said.

Begum TV, which is funded by international organisations and private philanthropic foundations, is run from Paris by 10 Afghan women journalists and presenters now living in France.

In the evening, it broadcasts entertainment, including a dubbed Bollywood drama - a favourite with Muradi's family - as well as music and talk shows.

The latter cover everything from health to women's rights, including sensitive issues such as domestic violence.

"This is the freedom we have through satellite," Aman said. "Afghan media is under very close scrutiny now, but satellite TV allows us to bypass censorship."

She said the entertainment shows were important for supporting girls and women's mental health, which had been severely impacted by the increasing constraints on their lives.

Begum TV's Getee Azami records presenter Diba Akbari's show in Paris. Begum TV/Handout via Thomson Reuters Foundation

Begum TV's Getee Azami records presenter Diba Akbari's show in Paris. Begum TV/Handout via Thomson Reuters Foundation

Children quit primary school

More than half of Afghans have access to satellite TV, according to a 2023 report by BBC Media Action. Anecdotal evidence suggests it is gaining in popularity as the Taliban crack down on entertainment and free information.

Although most Begum TV viewers are in Afghanistan, some are in Pakistan and Iran, where many Afghan refugees live.

Begum Academy plans to launch an app in December allowing students to access lessons offline and interact more easily with teachers.

It is also organising exams that will help the best students join online universities.

Aman said the American University of Afghanistan, now based in Doha, and Arizona State University had agreed to recognise the academy's exam certificate and hoped others would follow.

Preparations are also underway to launch primary school lessons, answering demand from parents and students.

Although schools remain open for younger girls, UNESCO said the quality of education had deteriorated and many children - both girls and boys - had dropped out.

Factors include deepening poverty and a dire shortage of teachers made worse by the Taliban's ban on women teaching boys.

But there are wider challenges too.

Aman, who frequently travels to Afghanistan, said it was frightening to see how fast the ban on girls' education had become normalised.

"These girls are desperate because the only alternative that remains is to get married," she added.

Back in Kabul, Muradi says many young teenagers have been married off following the school ban, including her best friend, who wed at 15.

Muradi herself has other plans.

"No matter what, I have to continue my education," she said.

"I'm determined to show the world that Afghan girls and women can achieve great success."