KUNDUZ - For the economic development of the Afghanistan’s northern provinces, it is critically important for Afghan girls to be able to pursue an education, said panellists during televised debates in Baghlan and Kunduz.

The TV debates, which focused on mobilizing support for girls’ education in the interest of the country’s future, were driven by panellists from the provinces’ government offices, provincial councils, civil society groups and religious leadership.

Supported by the Kunduz regional office of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the debates produced by Khawar RTV and Tanweer Media Group. When aired this week via Khawar Radio and TV in Kunduz, and Tanweer TV and Radio Arezo in Baghlan, they are expected to reach an audience estimated in the hundreds of thousands.

The panellists’ discussion, which touched on the rights of access to education for girls from the social, religious and constitutional perspectives, focused on education at the provincial levels and the obligations of government to provide equal opportunities for girls and boys.

The panellists addressed the many challenges girls face in pursuing an education, not least among them being conservative cultural constraints, and stressed the responsibility of parents to foster a home environment in which education is encouraged for both girls and boys.

According to Janat Gul Nasiri, the head of the Kunduz City Education Directorate, there are 496 schools in his province with nearly 350,000 students enrolled, about 30 per cent of them being girls. He expressed concern about the impact of the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.

“The Taliban have increased their influence on education, especially on girls’ education in this province,” he said. “They allow girls’ education up to 6th grade only, with the presence of female teachers.”

Naqibulla Sajad, the deputy director of the Baghlan Department of Education, said that more than 100,000 girls go to school in his province, and cited insecurity and conservative cultural practices as the main challenges girls face in Baghlan.

In April, the UN produced a report that documents how conflict-related violence, threats and intimidation by all parties to the conflict harmed health and education personnel and limited children’s access to essential health and education services. The report covers the three-year period, 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015.

The report found that, across Afghanistan, conflict-related violence resulted in the partial or complete closure of more than 369 schools in 2015, affecting more than 139,000 students and 600 teachers. The report highlights the particular vulnerabilities faced by girls, noting attacks, threats and explicit prohibitions imposed to restrict girls’ education.

UNAMA is mandated to support the Afghan Government and the people of Afghanistan as a political mission that provides good offices; promotes coherent development support by the international community; supports the process of peace and reconciliation; monitors and promotes human rights and the protection of civilians in armed conflict; promotes good governance; and encourages regional cooperation.