Oral history interview with Azizullah Royesh, 2021
Abstract
Azizullah Royesh reflects on his life and career, with particular emphasis on his founding and leadership of Marefat High School in Kabul, Afghanistan. He recounts his upbringing and experiences during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, including his time spent in Pakistan, and he describes his education and the development of his political and pedagogical philosophies. Royesh describes the Hazara community of which he is a part, and shares stories of the founding of Marefat High School in Pakistan; the movement of the school to Kabul in 2001; the school's approach to holistic, transformational education; and the effort to fully include girls in classroom and extracurricular activities. He describes the growth of the school, including the international recognition he received, and outlines the increased literacy of the community and the impacts of the school's civics education on local politics. Royesh also speaks widely about the modern history of Afghanistan, including the restrictions on education imposed by the Taliban; the targeting of Marefat High School amid the controversy surrounding the signing of the Shia Family Law in 2009 by President Karzai, which Obama described as abhorrent; discussions about the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan during the final years of the Obama presidency; the Trump administration's negotiations with, and signing of, an agreement with the Taliban; and the final withdrawal of U.S. forces during the Biden presidency, when Royesh evacuated Kabul. Also discussed are Royesh's memories of Obama's election in 2008, the influence of African American history and the history of the civil rights movement on Royesh's life and politics, and Royesh's friendships with notable American generals and diplomatic officials
Azizullah Royesh is a social activist, teacher, and writer from Afghanistan. Royesh established five schools in Ghazni province. In 1994, he established the Marefat High School for Afghan refugees in Pakistan, and later moved the school to Kabul, Afgh anistan, in 2001. For his work there during the Obama years, Royesh was named as a world fellow at Yale University in 2010. In 2011 and 2012, he was a Reagan-Fascell democracy fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy. In 2015, Royesh was a finalist for the Global Teacher Prize, an award given by the Varkey Foundation
Note
Interviewed by Evan D. McCormick on June 29, 2022. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Azizullah Royesh, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023