Between 5-7 October 2002 the teachers from the District of Khwaja Ghaar in Takhaar Province, Northern Afghanistan, participated in a large demonstration of more than three thousand people, including students from different schools in the district, protesting the fact that they had not received their salaries, which were to have been paid to them by the UN agency called UNDP. The local government in charge of paying the salaries claimed that the money for their salaries had either run out, or was never received in the province, while the reality is different. The truth is that the money has been delivered to Khwaja Ghaar by the UNDP on time, but the local authorities, including the governor and other officials, kept this money for themselves and did not pay the teachers because people and especially educated people of this district are always against the fundamentalists who are now the rulers of Takhaar. It now appears that all of the money that was supposed to be received by the teachers was distributed among the government officials. After not receiving their salaries the teachers and student gave an ultimatum to the local authorities that unless they were paid their salaries by the 5th of October they would close all schools and participate in a mass demonstration. Unfortunately all their requests for compensation were ignored by the local authority
These poor teachers, who have not received their salaries for the past seven months, had no option but to start a mass demonstration which was also supported by at least one thousand students. Despite years of being denied education by the Taliban and Jehadi oppressions, even the girls' schools joined the demonstration to show support for the cause of their teachers. The ordinary people of Takhaar, including the shopkeepers and businessmen, also came out to the street to show their solidarity with the unpaid teachers.
These demonstrations lasted for three days and attracted supporters from other villages including Hazar Baagh, Zard Kamar, Mang Chooqor, Jugdo and Toghli. The demonstrators delivered speeches against the local government and the speakers included students from both the girls' and boys' schools.
The speakers spoke out against the governor of Takhaar, the Northern Alliance commanders and all officials for having. their hands in this crime and they all said words of condemnations against the warlords. They urged President Karzai to stop corruption and crimes of this nature
The demonstration came to an end after three days when a resolution was proposed and they announced that schools will be closed down for 10 days. It was very significant to see all the people of Khwaja Ghaar, including businesses and ordinary people, supporting the teachers' cause. However, it is unfortunate that no international news agency was present to broadcast such a significant matter to the world so that the people of the world could be aware of such crimes.
In Khwaja Ghaar many international NGOs such as Concern, Acted, Shelter Now and Hallo Trust are operating and they all witnessed these demonstrations because their vehicles could not pass through the blocked roads and yet these organizations turned a blind eye to these events and did not try to pass its news to any news agency despite having modern means of communications.
RAWA, as usual, has taken photographs of these events in order to inform people around the world of the suffering of our nation at the hands of the corrupt fundamentalists.
