A number of girls who enrolled in online education programs and centers to continue their studies say that in some cases, after paying tuition fees or registration costs, they lost contact with the officials running these programs and did not receive the assistance that had been promised to them. They say some individuals exploited girls’ need to continue their education by offering promises about training, financial assistance, and academic documents.
Rabia, a student at an online academy in Afghanistan, says she came across an advertisement for an online school on social media. According to her, the advertisement claimed that students who completed studies at this school could receive documents and certificates from Germany and other foreign countries. She adds that this promise led her, her sister, and her cousin to register.
This girl adds: “All of us registered with a thousand hopes: me, my sister, and my cousin. My mother had a gold ring. She sold her ring, hoping that I would study, obtain a certificate, and go abroad on a scholarship.”
According to Rabia, after they paid the money, they were told to wait for classes to begin. She adds that after some time, the WhatsApp accounts of the people who had been in contact with them disappeared, and their messages went unanswered.
Rabia says she went to Taliban District 21 to follow up on the matter and filed a complaint. According to her, instead of having her complaint addressed there, she was met with blame. She says: “The Taliban blamed us and said: they did well to take your money; what business does a girl have with studying.”
Ayesha, another girl who registered for an online course, says that after registering, they were asked to pay a fee.
She says: “We registered for an online course. They asked us for money. We paid the money so the class would start, but then they blocked our number.”
Ayesha adds that after her number was blocked, she had no way to contact the officials running the course.
Sana Mirzad, another girl who took part in an educational program, says they attended classes that, according to officials, were supported by a foreign organization. She adds that the program taught girls English language, graphic design, and video editing.
Sana says that after classes began, students were told each of them would receive $150 in monthly assistance. She adds that officials had asked them for photos, tazkiras (national ID cards), and sample signatures in order to process this payment.
This girl says: “We studied for three months. Every month, we sent our sample signature and tazkira, but when we asked about the money, they said all of our payments would be given together at the end.” According to Sana, after three months had passed, no money was paid to them, and eventually the classes came to an end as well.
Sana says: “In the end, they only gave us a certificate. The money that was said to have been provided for us by the organization was never paid to us.”
With the growing reliance of Afghanistan’s girls and women on online education to continue their studies and acquire new skills, verifying the credibility of educational programs, clarifying registration and payment terms, and confirming the identity of the organizations running them are measures that, if taken before registration, could help prevent such problems from occurring.
