Afghanistan Times
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Around 50 school students have been poisoned in the first anti-school attack in 2017 in Kabul, which has of course, exemplified the work of conservative radicals in the country. The Ministry of Education confirmed the poisoning of 50 school students, and they were poisoned during program titled “Supporting Education”. They students immediately shifted to the Istiqlal hospital for treatment. Poisoning of school students is not something new. In the past several students were poisoned, and some of them went through tough time of their life, even fallen sick for some days. We should not forget that girl schools are coming under attack. Nothing this, it’s crystal clear that radicals opposed to education of women and girls are putting every efforts—even use unidentified toxic powder to contaminate the air in classrooms. In these radicals, the Taliban’s name comes first, because they were against women and girl’s education during their time of rule. After the Taliban fall down, females have returned to schools, especially in the capital Kabul. As we all know they were previously banned from working and education. But, there are still periodic attacks against students, teachers, and school buildings nationwide, and the Taliban insurgents are drawing most of its support in this evil act of ant-education. Earlier, scores of students were left unconscious in different attacks against schoolgirls across the country. Previously, in Takhar, Balkh, Herat, Ghazni and other provinces girl’s school have been closed down temporarily, or maybe permanently after students claimed to be poisoned, but near to nothing has been done to address the concerns of the student. There are some conflicting reports about what causing girls to fell ill in schools. Education officials claimed that either mass hysteria or unclean classrooms are the cause, while the security officials terming these school attacks by the Taliban and terrorist groups who oppose women’s education. Security officials are rights as beforehand, it was confirmed the existence of a toxic gas after testing the blood of girls who were ill. Definitely, the poisonings of schoolgirls have been coordinating by the ultra-conservative elements of society that believe girls should not be educated. Bearing this into mind, it would be irrational to say that Kabul schoolgirls were poisoned by pesticides spared on trees in the school compound. For sack of argument, if we go with the claim, the head of school has to be triggered to court. Such carelessness is not acceptable at all. But, in the knee jerk reaction, the ministry of education claimed that it was pesticides spared on trees behind poisoning. This is not fair; the ministry should let security officials to educate people over the matter. This is their work to probe the incident—afterward aware the public. Possibly, this is the work of militants, but still if the spare on trees has caused this, it is imperative to take into custody the man spared the trees—surely, it was coordinated or even ordered by school head—it has to be detained too.
