On the International Literacy Day, President Hamid Karzai gave a speech at a high school and was expressing his concerns about the current state of Afghanistan. He touches on the topics of how Afghanistan is being plauged by Taliban attacks and threats. The constant suicide blasts are putting a toll on the country's education system. As Karzai was giving his speech he began to get teary-eyed. 1 out of 4 Afghans (which is about 10 million) are illiterate and all he wants is for his people to get an education so they would be able to be independent and self-sufficient. He urged for Afghans to do more to educate their children and he fears that his own son would be forced to flee his own country one day and become a refugee.
Karzai:
"I'm afraid that my son, my own son will become a refugee one day. Please, I don't want my son and your son to be a foreign citizen...I want him to go to school here, I swear to God I'm worried, I'm worried, oh people, I'm worried."
"I have pain in my heart...Our sons cannot go to school because of bombs and suicide attacks. Our teachers cannot go to school because of clashes and threats of assassination. Schools are closed."
During his emotional speech, several bearded men and hundreds of teachers and students in the audience began to cry as well. Karzai and his family are under a lot of pressure from Taliban threats and the pressure from being criticized and investigated.
