Islamabad: Taliban Authorities closed schools for girls above the sixth grade in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday lines province according to witnesses and social media posts. The schools were briefly opened after the recommendation of tribal elders and school principals.
Earlier this month, four girls’ schools above grade 6 in the provincial capital Gardez and one in the Samkani district started functioning without the Taliban’s formal permission. Ministry of Education,
The Taliban once again closed all five schools on Saturday.
According to social media posts, dozens of tearful former students – some in head-to-toe burqas, others in school uniforms and white veils – protested in the streets of Gardez on Saturday.
Mohamed Sediq, a resident of Gardez, said he was glad his two sisters could go to school, but the Taliban disappointed him by closing girls’ schools.
Taliban government spokesman and education ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.
Even a year after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, teenage girls are still barred from attending school and women are required to cover themselves from head to toe in public, with only their eyes showing. The Taliban-led government, dominated by hardliners, imposed severe restrictions on access to education and jobs for girls and women, despite early promises to the contrary.
Former President Hamid Karzai encouraged respected clerics, elders and influential Afghans to “encourage the education of our children, both boys and girls, as much as possible” in a series of tweets on World Literacy Day on Thursday.
Last week, Khalikiyar Ahmadzai, head of information and culture in Paktia, told local media that schools had been reopened in the province to girl students above grade 6.
“The decision was made by the local school leadership and was not based on an official order,” he said.
Since taking power, the Taliban have struggled to rule and remain isolated internationally. An economic downturn has pushed millions more Afghans into poverty and hunger as the flow of foreign aid slows.
Earlier this month, four girls’ schools above grade 6 in the provincial capital Gardez and one in the Samkani district started functioning without the Taliban’s formal permission. Ministry of Education,
The Taliban once again closed all five schools on Saturday.
According to social media posts, dozens of tearful former students – some in head-to-toe burqas, others in school uniforms and white veils – protested in the streets of Gardez on Saturday.
Mohamed Sediq, a resident of Gardez, said he was glad his two sisters could go to school, but the Taliban disappointed him by closing girls’ schools.
Taliban government spokesman and education ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.
Even a year after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, teenage girls are still barred from attending school and women are required to cover themselves from head to toe in public, with only their eyes showing. The Taliban-led government, dominated by hardliners, imposed severe restrictions on access to education and jobs for girls and women, despite early promises to the contrary.
Former President Hamid Karzai encouraged respected clerics, elders and influential Afghans to “encourage the education of our children, both boys and girls, as much as possible” in a series of tweets on World Literacy Day on Thursday.
Last week, Khalikiyar Ahmadzai, head of information and culture in Paktia, told local media that schools had been reopened in the province to girl students above grade 6.
“The decision was made by the local school leadership and was not based on an official order,” he said.
Since taking power, the Taliban have struggled to rule and remain isolated internationally. An economic downturn has pushed millions more Afghans into poverty and hunger as the flow of foreign aid slows.