New Married Girls and Literacy Courses

   Written by: Ferishta  Sahak

Many Afghan families provide education facilities to their daughters but still we could face some illiterate girls. They get married and are not able to study. Some families provide facilities for their brides to study after marriage.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked about this issue to some brides.

Nadia, a resident of Shakardara district, Kabul province says: “I am the only illiterate women in my father-in-law’s house. Whenever there is a special matter, my father-in-law discusses it with others and I could not even talk in front of them and this issue always annoys me.”

Zahira, a resident of Qarabagh district, Kabul province says: “I am not literate and I faced many problems after my marriage. When I became the mother of children, my problems also increased. When I want to apply vaccine to my kid, I always confuse cards. While the physician see that I always make mistakes, he asks me whether I have eyes or not and this is the result of illiteracy.”

What could do the of father-in-law’s family with their bride in such cases?

Madina, a resident of Farza district, Kabul province says: “my mother-in-law had gone to our neighbor’s house and the neighbors had told her that a non-government organization has established a literacy course. when my mother-in-law came back home, she shared the issue with my father-in-law. As I and my husband’s brother’s wife were not literate, my mother-in-law convinced my husband and my father-in-law and they allowed us to study in the course. Now we go do our house chores before noon and in the afternoon, we go to the literacy course and now I could help my children in school lessons.”

What are the advantages of literacy?

Torpekai, a lady tailor and now a student of a literacy course says: “when I was illiterate, I was facing many problems in measuring the size of dresses but when I have started the literacy course, I could easily note the measurements  of dresses and it caused me to increase my customers.”