Page 12 - ELG2301 Jan Issue 483

NEWS FEATURE .

British Council teachers

hide in Afghanistan

Joseph Seaton, who has spent more than 20 years working on education and
development programmes, and is now campaigning through #AtRiskTeachers,
shares his concerns about the teachers left behind in Afghanistan

Former British Council teachers in Afghanistan, whose faces have been blurred for their safety

ver 100 former British Council were informed of the UK Government’s suspicious, seeing collaboration with the UK
(BC) teachers continue to live in Afghan Relocation & Assistance Programme and the West as a betrayal. Also prevalent in
hiding in Afghanistan, almost a (ARAP). The Council advised them on how Afghanistan is the idea that people ‘working
Oyear and a half after the country to complete their applications and had their for the British’ are spies or traitors.
fell to the Taliban. The teachers worked names added to a list submitted to the ARAP As well as the mistrust, there is the ongoing
on various UK Government-funded BC approvals team. rejection of Western values in some quarters,
programmes and delivered teacher training, According to the left-behind teachers, the evidenced by two Taliban attacks on British
English lessons and classes on UK values BC did not inform them about the scheme, Council premises in Afghanistan. The 2011
(Including equality, diversity & Inclusion attack on the BC office in Kabul resulted in
[EDI]). Since the Taliban seized power, the Former colleagues 17 fatalities and prompted the Council to
teachers have been living in fear for their move their office onto the British Embassy
lives, with many receiving threats and some started to contact me compound. A further attack on a British
becoming victims of Taliban violence. begging for help Council English Resource Centre in Kandahar
Many of teachers worked for the BC for in 2015 points to the continued feelings of
a considerable period of time, some for 10 animosity towards the organisation.
years. They all had rolling contracts with nor advise them on how to complete their Aware of the risk to former BC employees,
the organisation, which were renewed on an applications, and their names were not added the British Council managers and office staff
annual basis. Yet thus far, their long service to the list. were all included in the ARAP scheme from
and commitment to the Council has remained This initial failure to include all but the start – and rightly so. They all worked for
largely unrecognised. Even though they three teachers in the ARAP scheme is very the BC and qualified for the ARAP scheme
were all eligible for relocation under the UK surprising, as all the teachers met the criteria. according to the UK Government’s guidelines.
Government’s relocation scheme, only three Of all the BC employees, the teachers were the What is baffling to me is that all but three of
teachers got out. most recognisable and exposed, as they were the teachers were excluded.
The BC knew well in advance of the public-facing employees, well known within The teachers had all worked on UK
collapse of Afghanistan that they were closing their local communities. Everyone knew they Government-funded programmes. Around 50
their office in Kabul. In early 2021, all the BC ‘worked for the British’. While some members of them had been employed on the ‘English
managerial and administrative staff who worked of their local communities may have seen this for Afghans’ programme launched in 2017
in the office in the British Embassy compound as a sign of success, others might be more and funded by a £4.5 million grant from the
12 January 2023