While the world, on October 5, celebrates World Teachers’ Day and honors the key role of educators in shaping the future of generations, in Afghanistan, this day has turned into a painful and tragic story.

Following the complete shutdown of the internet and telephone communications for 48 hours by the Taliban, millions of Afghan citizens faced serious disruptions in their daily lives, disruptions that severely affected everything from education and business to family relationships and people’s mental health.

Dozens of Afghan women and girls who were recently deported from Iran have been admitted to mental health hospitals after returning to Afghanistan, due to facing the Taliban regime and laws that have pushed women’s lives to the brink of destruction.

The European Union Delegation in Afghanistan, on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, emphasized in a statement that “education for all is the key to a resilient and self-reliant Afghanistan” and plays a fundamental role in the country’s economic development.