# Learning in the Impossible | Haroon Azizi | TEDxDarulaman

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiUTu18O9R0
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/OiUTu18O9R0
Generated: 2026-02-17T20:03:26.71+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Haroon Azizi advocates for integrating technology and education in Afghanistan by founding Hadaf.af, an organization that provides free technical and educational resources to Afghans both inside and outside the country, challenging the local educational system's reliance on rote memorization and lack of practical skills.

**Key Points:**
- The speaker, Haroon Azizi, founded Hadaf.af to address the lack of practical skills in the Afghan educational system, which historically focused on rote memorization (0:09, 0:55, 2:24).
- Azizi notes that social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are heavily filtered in Afghanistan, highlighting the need for alternative information sources (0:15, 0:28).
- He recounts that in his 12 years of schooling, he only encountered one teacher who taught with genuine passion (2:32).
- Hadaf.af was established to teach Afghans everywhere the necessary skills for the 21st century, including programming, UI/UX design, and database management (3:02).
- The organization successfully provided free education and showcased projects to potential employers, securing internships for participants (4:38).
- Azizi poses a challenge to the audience: Are they ready to redefine the impossible in Afghanistan by combining technology and education? (5:03).

![Screenshot at 00:05: Haroon Azizi stands on stage at TEDxDarulaman, holding a microphone and notes, beginning his talk about improving education and technology in Afghanistan.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OiUTu18O9R0/00-00-05.jpg)

**Context:** Haroon Azizi delivers a TEDx talk at TEDxDarulaman in Kabul, Afghanistan (October 2025), focusing on the critical need to modernize education in Afghanistan by integrating technology skills. He contrasts the traditional system, which he describes as fostering excuses and rote learning, with his vision for practical education that equips Afghans with 21st-century skills, exemplified by his organization Hadaf.af.

## Detailed Analysis

Haroon Azizi discusses the stark reality of education in Afghanistan, noting that despite a two-day internet shutdown shortly before the talk (0:14), social media platforms are heavily filtered, and the educational system favors memorization over practical application. He calls himself a 'crazy optimist' (0:43) because he believes in pursuing extraordinary goals despite these limitations. Azizi shares his personal experience of having only one passionate teacher in 12 years of schooling (2:32), which motivated him to create Hadaf.af. This organization aims to teach essential modern skills—like software development, UI/UX design, and database management—to Afghans globally, providing them with real knowledge not found in the existing system (3:20, 3:53). He emphasizes that they have successfully showcased student projects to employers and secured internships, demonstrating tangible results (4:38). Azizi concludes by challenging the audience to redefine what is considered impossible in Afghanistan by actively combining technology and education.

### The Afghan Context

- Internet shutdowns lasting two days mentioned (0:14)
- Social media is filtered (0:28)
- Girls and women are barred from schools and universities (0:17)

### Critique of Current Education

- System relies on rote memorization, not practical skills (2:25)
- People are taught to feel sorry for themselves or look for excuses instead of striving for excellence (1:32, 1:37)

### The Hadaf.af Initiative

- Founded to teach skills needed for the 21st century: programming, UI/UX, databases (3:02)
- The goal is to teach Afghans everywhere, especially those inside the country, practical knowledge (3:53, 4:12)

### Success and Impact

- Successfully showcased student projects to employers (4:36)
- Secured internships for participants (4:46)
- The speaker considers this a 'really smart small part' of the required change (4:54)

### Call to Action

- Audience challenged to redefine the impossible by combining technology and education (5:03)

![Screenshot at 00:00: Opening visual featuring a stylized drawing of a large institutional building, set against a backdrop of red and blue sky, labeled TEDxDarulaman.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OiUTu18O9R0/00-00-00.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:05: Haroon Azizi standing center stage at the TEDxDarulaman event, addressing the audience with a microphone and notes.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OiUTu18O9R0/00-00-05.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:37: Close-up of audience members attentively listening to the speaker, highlighting the engaged crowd.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OiUTu18O9R0/00-00-37.jpg)
![Screenshot at 01:12: A visual shift where the speaker gestures while holding his notes, discussing the societal excuses prevalent in Afghanistan.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OiUTu18O9R0/00-01-12.jpg)
![Screenshot at 05:05: The speaker receives applause after concluding his address, walking off stage.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/OiUTu18O9R0/00-05-05.jpg)