Several girls who have turned to online education and work because of the Taliban’s ban on education and employment are complaining about the high cost of internet in Afghanistan. According to them, internet prices in the country are high, and data packages run out quickly. They say the high cost and poor quality of the internet have made it difficult for them to continue their studies and carry out their work. The girls add that, because they need more internet for studying and online activities, they face restrictions from their families and are sometimes even questioned about it.
Shabnam (pseudonym), who studies online because of the Taliban’s ban on education, complains about the high cost and slow speed of the internet. “I study online, but besides the high cost of the internet, I also face the problem of its low speed. With three or five GB packages, we can only attend three or four class sessions, and even these packages are expensive, while larger packages cost even more,” she said.
She added: “Since most of us girls do not have jobs, paying for internet is difficult for us. For this reason, in many cases we cannot attend all class sessions. On the other hand, despite paying a high price for the internet, the connection keeps dropping and reconnecting during lessons, and my link to the online class is cut several times.”
Ayesha (pseudonym), a journalist who works online, said the quality of the internet in Afghanistan has never been satisfactory and has now become worse than before. According to her, the quality of internet services across the different telecommunications networks is below expectations.
The journalist said: “I work online and, unfortunately, I face many internet problems. The cost of the internet is high, but its quality is low. Uploading and downloading files also takes a lot of time, which makes online work difficult. Nevertheless, users have no choice but to pay a lot for it. On Afghanistan’s telecommunications networks, one GB of internet costs between 100 and 110 Afghanis, while this amount of data is enough for only a few hours of use. Such a cost is burdensome for many users, especially for those who need the internet for work and daily activities.”
Zainab (pseudonym), for whom the high cost of internet is also a major challenge, said she studies online and also stays in touch with her friends through the internet. According to her, her father pays for the internet, and for this reason she faces many restrictions and difficulties in using it. She said: “I use the internet both for studying online and for getting news and information. When my family pays for the internet, they set limits on its use and sometimes even get upset about it. The cost of internet in Afghanistan is high, and data packages also run out quickly. I wish I could pay for my own internet, but because of the lack of job opportunities, I am unemployed.”
Roya (pseudonym) said that, because of the restrictions on education in Afghanistan, she and a number of other girls have turned to online learning, but the high cost and poor quality of the internet have made it difficult for them to continue their education.
She said: “Because of the restrictions on education in Afghanistan, I and other girls have turned to online learning. Online education and work are the only way we can continue our educational and professional activities under the current circumstances. However, because of the high cost and poor quality of the internet, I have often been unable to follow my lessons on time.”
She added: “For girls like me in Afghanistan, every time my internet package runs out, or I cannot afford to buy a new one, I feel I am losing a chance to learn. This situation is gradually reducing my motivation and interest in studying.”
Khadija (pseudonym) said the high cost of internet is one of her serious challenges. According to her, when she studies, watches videos, or uses the internet for online work and educational activities, her internet package runs out quickly, and she has to buy credit again. Khadija said: “The cost of internet is not cheap either, and paying for it is difficult for people with low incomes. In my opinion, the price of internet should be reduced so that everyone can easily use it for education, work, and progress.”
Zahra (pseudonym) said the cost of internet is high on all telecommunications networks, and for this reason she has had to buy SIM cards from several networks.
She said: “The cost of activating internet packages is high on all telecommunications networks, and personally I cannot afford it. Besides this, the internet speed is also low, and activating Wi-Fi is also very expensive. Another problem is that some telecommunications networks activate certain internet packages without users’ requests. All of these problems are challenging, especially for those who study online.”
This comes as a number of Kabul residents told the Hasht-e Subh Daily some time ago that they were unhappy with the poor quality of internet services in the city. They added that they use the services of Afghan Telecom, but the internet speed has dropped sharply and the connection drops and reconnects more than ten times in an hour. According to them, this situation has reduced the speed and quality of online work, and the resulting pressure and stress have made their lives more difficult.
Last year, the Taliban, on the order of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s leader, shut down fiber-optic internet and claimed that the move was made “to prevent moral corruption.” Under this order, all telecommunications services in Afghanistan had been completely cut off for 48 hours.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
بهای بلند و کیفیت پایین انترنت؛ نگرانی دختران از دشواری آموزش و کار آنلاین
