Gandomin Magazine – No. 01

After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, girls above the sixth grade were banned from attending school. According to UNICEF, more than 2.2 million adolescent girls in Afghanistan have been denied an education.

In its first issue, *Gandamin Quarterly* brings together seventy memories of school life shared by Afghanistan girls and women. For some, writing these memories brought tears of joy; for others, tears of sorrow. Together, they recall a chapter of growth, learning, and self-discovery that was left unfinished.

These seventy memories do not belong to a single generation, era, or region. Rather, this quarterly publication serves as a bridge between generations and across the geography of Afghanistan—from the women of the 1330s and 1340s (Solar Hijri calendar / 1950s and 1960s) who paved the way to school, to the girls of today who, in 1404 (2025–2026), continue their education through computer screens and the virtual world despite numerous restrictions.

The words in these memories carry the soil, atmosphere, and culture of different regions of Afghanistan. As you turn the pages of this quarterly, you will encounter living stories of girls’ memories: school uniforms of varying colors and sizes, an ever-changing education system, the behavior of teachers and school officials, first friendships, longings, and playful moments of girlhood.

By publishing these seventy memories, we aim to do more than document women’s experiences of school life. We want to affirm a simple truth: even in their darkest moments, the women of this country have never stopped seeking knowledge. Even in their happiest memories, there is the weight of absence and loss. These writings stand as living testimony to how the closure of schools has deprived a generation of one of life’s most basic rights and cut them off from a world full of opportunity and possibility.

It is worth mentioning that these memories have been published without ranking or judging them based on writing strength or maturity. Our sole purpose has been to support the voices, stories, and memories of girls and women.

The memories in this publication are arranged according to the years of schooling, from the 1330s and 1340s (1950s–1960s) up to 1404 (2025–2026). Each entry includes the year, province, and school name, and the photographs used belong to the writers themselves. In doing so, we hope to create a historical archive of women’s educational experiences in Afghanistan.

We extend our deepest gratitude to all the women who wrote, shared their memories with us, and ensured that this part of Afghanistan women’s lives is not left untold. Today, these may be memories, but one day they will stand as testimony to a generation that never forgot its right to learn.