Asma's fight for girls' education in Afghanistan ^{CEFR B2}

Asma described how the restrictions on women and girls after the Taliban takeover in August 2021 echoed the dystopia of The Handmaid's Tale. She was in the eleventh grade preparing for exams when Ashraf Ghani fled and the Taliban took the capital. Initially the Taliban allowed girls to sit exams, but soon both schools and universities were closed to them. Asma wrote about visiting her school gate to glimpse classmates, teachers and her old desk and being refused entry; she asked, "What was our crime?" and wrote, "Yes, we were born girls, but we are not criminals."

With family support she found a secret English language centre in Herat where brave teachers quietly taught girls. After a year she reached an excellent level and, at the director's suggestion, became a teacher herself, instructing girls her own age and younger. At home she read widely and listed books that influenced her, including The Handmaid's Tale and other works on politics, psychology and history.

She applied to the online University of the People for a degree in Business Administration, received an acceptance letter and is set to begin studies in April. She said she feels excitement for the chance to study and sorrow that many other girls remain denied education. She credited her parents' support, quoted their advice—"Study first, become independent, and then plan the rest of your life"—and said she has matured over the past three and a half years. She plans to continue to a master's and a doctorate and hopes more families will support their daughters.

• Key facts: schools closed, secret centre in Herat, online university place