Girls singing national anthem in Afghanistan

National anthem in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education is facing strong criticism after it banned girls over the age of 12 from singing the national anthem in mixed gatherings. The March 6 order came to light when someone took a picture of an official memo issued by the Ministry of Education and released it on educational institutions and social media.

According to a recent Associated Press report, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education said the memo, which was sent to all schools in Kabul, had been withdrawn because the memo writers did not use the correct words to write the message. According to the spokesperson, the purpose of the education department was to prevent boys and girls from participating in public gatherings to prevent the spread of the epidemic. According to a new memo issued by the Ministry of Education, both students have been banned from singing the national anthem in public gatherings.

Earlier, Afghanistan’s officially recognized human rights NGO, AIHRC, called the move a violation of children’s rights, the Afghan constitution and international human rights treaties.

The AIHRC wrote on its official Twitter account: "Education, freedom of expression and access to artistic skills are the fundamental rights of all children. All boys and girls can legally exercise their rights equally and freely, regardless of age or gender. ”

"When I heard the news on social media, it was very disappointing for me,” said Roya Ahmadi, a 17-year-old high school student in Kabul and a member of her high school band. Because this decision has been made by a department which is running under a female administrator.

Roya Ahmadi was referring to Afghanistan’s interim education minister Rangina Hamidi.

Ahmadi added that "more important than one’s gender is what one thinks and what one likes.”

"I like to be the voice of women,” she said.

The decision by the Ministry of Education is being criticized on social media in Afghanistan.

A Twitter user, Marjan Matin, shared a video clip of 2019 on social media, in which schoolgirls sang the national anthem at a large-scale ceremony and several of the uniformed boys on stage accompanied them. Rows can be seen.

In his tweet, Matin wrote to the students, "We disappointed you, we are sorry.”

Dr. Ahmed Sarmast, founder of the National Institute of Music in Afghanistan, said in a statement that the announcement "shocked the nation.”

Rangina Hamidi, Afghanistan’s interim education minister, took office in June last year. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia in the United States. Open Society Afghanistan is part of the advisory board of organizations such as the Afghan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and the Afghan Institute for Civil Society.

After taking office, he sought to integrate the ministry’s Islamic Studies Department into some other areas, which was withdrawn following protests from religious circles in Afghanistan.

But some in Afghanistan believe the recent move to ban girls over the age of 12 from singing the national anthem in mixed gatherings could be an attempt to appease the religiously inclined.

In December last year, Rangina Hamidi needed a vote of confidence to step down as acting minister of education, but she failed to get a vote of confidence from the Afghan parliament. After which he is under pressure to resign politically. rahimyarkhan desk