Nangyalai Attal writes: In March 2021, I visited an agriculture and veterinary institute (AVI) in northern Balkh province in Afghanistan. With state-of-the-art educational infrastructure and labs, the institute is built on about 250 acres of land in the outskirts of Mazar e Sharif. The AVI is separated from the surrounding villages by the walls of an old castle. Beyond the walls, you see women and girls working in the agricultural fields. However, inside the walls—contrary to expectations—very few girls are pursuing formal agriculture education within the institute. The question is, why? Why have we been unable to fill these empty classrooms with students from outside the walls of the institute?
go to Brookings: The power of technical and vocational skills: Increasing girls’ participation in formal agriculture education in Afghanistan (brookings.edu)
