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VOA慢速英语2014 AS IT IS 2014-03-23 Women in Afghanistan Gain More Rights 阿富汗女性赢得更多权利

时间:2014-03-31 14:31:35

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AS IT IS 2014-03-23 Women in Afghanistan Gain More Rights 阿富汗女性赢得更多权利

Hello and welcome to As It Is. I’m Jonathan Evans in Washington.

Today on the program, we tell how one Nigerian agency is working to raise the literacy rate among adults in northern Nigeria. But first, we turn to women’s rights, jobs and education in Afghanistan.

Security risks are said to be widespread in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar. Yet the number of women working in Kandahar has risen during the past year. Mario Ritter has more.

Women Gain More Rights in Afghanistan

Jawaid Faisal is a spokesman for Kandahar’s governor. Mr. Faisal told VOA’s Afghan service that the provincial1 government employs more than 1,150 women, most of them as teachers. That is up from about 900 female teachers last year.

Kandahar is the former power base of the Taliban and its leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar. He disappeared in late 2001 after United States-led forces ousted2 the Taliban from power.

The Taliban ruled Kandahar from 1994 to 2002. During that period, women were banned from working outside the home. Most girls could not attend school, and no girls graduated. This year, 500 girls will complete high school.

Mohammad Ewaz Nazari is an education official in the province. He said Kandahar has about 47,000 female students. And the numbers are rising. He described an increasing demand for jobs among both educated and uneducated women.

Mr. Nazari said 600 illiterate3 women have asked the government to help them find work. He said the provincial government is attempting to find jobs for these women, who cannot read or write.

In addition to government positions such as teachers, women are also working for private businesses. Maryam Durani operates a local radio station. She is also a leading women’s rights activist5. She won the International Women of Courage Award in 2012, an award given by the American Secretary of State.

Maryam Durani said women in Kandahar need more job opportunities. But she also said they must consolidate6 -- strengthen -- the gains they have already made.

A non-governmental group, the Afghan School Project, has given women year-long scholarships that can lead to careers. The recipients7 attend programs at the Kandahar Institute of Modern Studies. The Institute offers training in business management, information technology, English and communications.

Some Afghans have expressed concern that the Taliban could regain8 power now that US troops are moving toward the end of fighting in Afghanistan. And they say the progress of women’s rights could be lost if that happens.

I’m Mario Ritter.

And I’m Jonathan Evans. You are listening to As It Is.

Nigeria Promotes Literacy

Nigeria has one of the world’s highest rates of people who cannot read or write. But a government agency is taking steps to help more than 400,000 Nigerians in Kano State become literate4. Bob Doughty9 has more.

The Kano State Agency for Mass Education has set high goals for literacy. The goals may be hard to reach because the adults and young people the agency wants to teach are not attending school.

Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike reported on the situation last September. The minister said the number of illiterate Nigerian adults has increased by 10 million over the past 20 years. The current total is 35 million. The nation also has more than 10 million children who are not in school.

To improve that situation, Kano’s educational agency has joined with “Education for All” -- a project of the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Working together, they have launched more than 8,074 adult literacy classes in 44 local government councils. The effort is expected to reach about 403,700 people. Success would mean a 90 percent adult literacy level by 2015.

The agency says it has 16,000 facilitators to teach and train students. The aim is to extend its reach to all the 44 local government councils in the state.

Kano City Women Center is one of many learning centers for young and adult women. It serves 965 students at its school and 145 more women at a vocational or occupational center.

The school teaches English, mathematics, geography, biology, chemistry, economics, and other subjects. At the vocational center, women learn how to knit and sew and make products like soaps and air fresheners.

Halima Aminu is 25 years old and a mother of three children. She once left school because of a lack of financial support. She started attending the Kano City Women Center in 2010. Today, she is in her final year at the senior secondary-school level.

“When I come to school in the morning I will enter my class, when I finish learning - that is, taking lectures- then I will go back home. I have children, I will teach them and help them to do their homework …” Halima Aminu hopes to continue her education at the next level and someday become a medical doctor. I’m Bob Doughty.

 

And that’s our program for today. Be sure to join us at this same time tomorrow for another As It Is. I’m Jonathan Evans. Thank you for listening.


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1 provincial Nt8ye     
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人
参考例句:
  • City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
  • Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。
2 ousted 1c8f4f95f3bcc86657d7ec7543491ed6     
驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 ); 革职; 罢黜; 剥夺
参考例句:
  • He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
  • He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。
3 illiterate Bc6z5     
adj.文盲的;无知的;n.文盲
参考例句:
  • There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
  • I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲,今天也认字了。
4 literate 181zu     
n.学者;adj.精通文学的,受过教育的
参考例句:
  • Only a few of the nation's peasants are literate.这个国家的农民中只有少数人能识字。
  • A literate person can get knowledge through reading many books.一个受过教育的人可以通过读书而获得知识。
5 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
6 consolidate XYkyV     
v.使加固,使加强;(把...)联为一体,合并
参考例句:
  • The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
  • The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。
7 recipients 972af69bf73f8ad23a446a346a6f0fff     
adj.接受的;受领的;容纳的;愿意接受的n.收件人;接受者;受领者;接受器
参考例句:
  • The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
8 regain YkYzPd     
vt.重新获得,收复,恢复
参考例句:
  • He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
  • The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。
9 doughty Jk5zg     
adj.勇猛的,坚强的
参考例句:
  • Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质:脾气倔强,性格刚强。
  • The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

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