Razia Jan, Advocate for Girls’ Education in Afghanistan, Passes Away
- Zan News
- Aug 6
- 1 min read
Razia Jan, a prominent advocate for girls’ education in Afghanistan, has passed away at the age of 81.
According to the New York Times, on Wednesday (August 6), she, who was born in Afghanistan and held U.S. citizenship, recently passed away in Los Angeles due to heart complications.
Razia Jan migrated to the United States in the 1970s. In 2007, she returned to Afghanistan and established a free school for girls in the Deh Sabz district of Kabul. The school began operating in 2008, and by 2016, it graduated its first 12th-grade students.
In 2017, Razia Jan founded a two-year educational institute for midwifery, which provided girls in rural areas with the opportunity to pursue higher education.
After the Taliban regained power, despite restrictions on girls’ education, her school has remained active and currently teaches more than 800 students from kindergarten to sixth grade.
Throughout her work, Razia Jan received multiple international awards, including the title of CNN Hero and an honorary doctorate.
It is worth noting that since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, girls above sixth grade have been banned from formal education, and universities have also been closed to female students.
