There has been a spate of “poisoning” incidents in girls’ schools in four provinces. 1,100 cases have been reported. The Taleban have denied they are in anyway responsible.
There has been a spate of “poisoning” incidents in girls’ schools in four provinces. 1,100 cases have been reported. The Taleban have denied they are in anyway responsible.On April 19, the first report of “poisoning” came from the Rostaq girls high school, Takhar province. There was no real follow up until it happened twice within days at the Bibi Hajera high school in Taloqan city. One and hundred and sixty girls were reported “intoxicated” in the incidents on May 23 and 26 respectively. The cause was not identified but an angry public led by the parents of the affected girls demanded the resignation of the governor and the local government.
A total of 1,100 cases of “poisoning” of schoolgirls in Takhar, Khost, Balkh and Bamiyan provinces have been reported this year. More than half the cases are from Takhar alone. The most recent has been on June 2 in Takhar.
Investigations by Killid reveal the authorities are in the dark about who is behind the incidents. How come the adults in the school – the teachers and authorities – were not affected? Questions remain also about the details of the incidents with the reports of affected individuals riddled with ambiguity.
For instance, Adele, one of the girls who were reported to have got sick, told Killid, “First one of the girls fainted. When we saw her we thought she may have drunk the water. But then we realised there was a smell coming into our tent. The smell caused us to faint. When we came to our senses we were in hospital.”
Unexplained reasons
Health officials have various explanations for what happened. Hafizullah Safi, the director of the health department of Takhar province, thinks it is a psychological problem. “This may have happened due to a psychological illness,” he said. How come then cases of “poisoning” of schoolgirls have come from other provinces?
Dr Ehsanullah Darwesh, a consultant, believes the “poison” may be a kind that does not affect adults. “Poisoning of groups of students is not unexpected and the kind of poison used may be only poisonous for a special age, and therefore the elders were safe.”
The head of health department of Takhar, Hafizullah Safi, said blood samples from five of the affected schoolgirls were sent to the Ministry of Health, which has given it to the international forces to test. The results could take weeks, he added.
At the school for girls in Ahan Dara, Takhar, officials sat up and took notice after the fourth such incident was reported on May 29. One hundred and fifty cases of poisoning were reported. Parents decided to stop sending their daughters to school in protest against the casual attitude of the government authorities.
There is also concern that reports of “poisoning” could be demoralizing for girls students. Anxiety levels have gone up since the June 2 incident at Basheerabad girls school, Takhar, when 100 students were reported “poisoned”.
Affecting education
Psychologist Ghulam Ali Deljo warns, “As the students are about to start half-year exams, the event would put unnecessary pressure on the morale of students and create a general fear throughout the country.”
Following the June 2 incident the local government in Takhar has announced an award of 200,000 Afs (4,000 USD) for anyone providing information on who is behind the incidents. Lutfullah Mashal, spokesperson of NDS (National Department of Security) told a press conference on June 6: “Fifteen people involved in poisoning girls in Takhar were arrested by the NDS.” Among those arrested are a student and cashier of the Bibi Hajera school in Takhar province. He also told reporters the “deputy governor of Taleban in Takhar” has taken responsibility for “all poisonings”.
The Taleban have denied any responsibility, but the spokesman of the central Ministry of Education, Amanullah Eman, said: “The Taleban are responsible for the insecurities in the schools. Why are schools closed where the Taleban has power? We have not cleared the Taleban from involvement even though they reject the charge.”
Zia Danesh, a writer and analyst, holds the “enemies of Afghanistan” responsible for the current insecure situation. “The growth of education prepares the way for development and assists in national unity, ideological and materialistic independence. The prevention of these is the work of the enemies of Afghanistan.”
Also Razm Ara Hawash, head of the Department of Women’s Affairs, would like security forces to investigate the issue “properly” and “remove the obstacles which are a challenge in the way of girls’ education.” She is worried that any further repetition of such incidents would thwart government efforts to bring back girls to classrooms in the country.
Meanwhile, members of parliament have shown concern. Fawzia Koofi, representative of Badakhshan and the head of the women’s affairs commission told the general session on June 2, “The poisoning of girls students is not casual. Rather they have been done in an organised manner.” She said the statements made by the deputy ministers of education, public health and national security who were summoned by parliament were “not satisfactory for the women’s affairs commission.”
On her urging parliament has given the government two weeks to complete the investigation and prosecute the guilty.
Will serious steps be taken within two weeks? Can the government restore people’s confidence?
