Page 10 - ELG2309 Sep Issue 486

NEWS FEATURE .

Many teachers in Afghanistan are constantly on the move to evade the Taliban.

Two Years in Hiding: The British Council

teachers left behind in Afghanistan

In our January 2023 issue, Joseph Seaton spoke to the Gazette

about At Risk Teachers and the struggle to remove educators from
Afghanistan. Eight months on, Joseph provides an update...

t’s now over two years since of targeting BC, with a complex support to complete their instead, they were informally
the Taliban took power in attack on the Kabul office in 2011 applications. These employees told they did not qualify for
Afghanistan. Yet, sadly, almost – leading to 17 fatalities – followed were all relocated to the UK prior the scheme. The teachers all
Iall the British Council teachers by the shooting of a teacher in to, or during, Operation Pitting in applied anyway, but almost all
who were left behind in August 2014 and an attack on a BC study August 2021. were rejected, even though
2021 continue to live wretched centre in Kandahar in 2015. As they met the scheme’s criteria.
lives. Many are still in hiding in they were known Taliban targets, Since the Disillusioned and in danger, they
Afghanistan, while others are all BC activity in Afghanistan was all went into hiding.
stuck in limbo in cramped hotels carried out under strict security Taliban took power, Their disillusion is not hard to
in Pakistan. They are all still guidelines. teachers and their understand; they did all the public
waiting for the UK government to In early 2021 the British facing work for the organisation,
make good on its promise to ‘move Government launched the families have been were visible, exposed and at
heaven and earth’ to get them to Afghan Relocation and Assistance more risk than any of the other
safety, and they are all still hoping Programme (ARAP) to ensure the victims of physical employees. Further to that, they
for some meaningful support and safety of those who had assisted violence and had been the ones tasked with
assistance from the Council. the UK-effort in Afghanistan. teaching ‘UK values’ such as
At the time the Taliban The Council knew they were threats ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’.
returned to power in Afghanistan, closing their office in Kabul, and The sensitivity of the content
over 100 former BC teachers were all the staff who worked in the Teachers were not informed they were teaching put them at
living in the country, and all were office on the British Embassy about the ARAP scheme by the real risk, as did the controversial
very aware of the danger they were were informed about the ARAP Council until after the Taliban nature of some of the programmes
in. The Taliban have a history scheme in early 2021, receiving had taken control of the country; we were running at the time, such
10 September 2023