After months of restrictions imposed on girls, schools were set to open for the first time since the Taliban seized control of the nation in August 2021. However, just hours after the schools reopened, the education ministry unexpectedly declared secondary schools for girls would stay shut, causing confusion.
The backtracking of this decision means that female students above the sixth grade will be unable to seek education in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Education Revokes its Decision to Allow Girls to Come to School
The notice published by the Ministry of Education said that the administration would bar girls from going to schools until a plan for the school uniforms was drawn up that also follows the Islamic law and their culture.
“We inform all girls high schools and those schools that are having female students above class six that they are off until the next order,” stated the notice.
“Yes, it’s true,” said a spokesman for the Taliban, Inamullah Samangani, when approached by AFP to confirm the reports. The Ministry of Education refused to comment on the same.
Teachers and Students Left in Tears Across Campuses in Kabul
The decision came as a massive disappointment to many teachers and students who had excitedly returned to school campuses early Wednesday morning, only to be ordered to return home. Many students left the campuses in tears.
“We all got disappointed, and we all became totally hopeless when the principal told us she was also crying,” said a student from Kabul, not being named to preserve her anonymity.
“It’s very disappointing that girls, who were waiting for this day, made to return from school. It shows that Taliban are not reliable and cannot fulfil their promises,” said Shukria Barakzai, an Afghan politician and journalist.
The Taliban Has Yet to Fulfil Any of the Promises it Made in August 2021
Afghanistan was under Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001. During this period, they banned female education and employment.
The international community has made it clear that if the Taliban wishes to be recognised as a legitimate administration, they must fulfil their promises of ensuring Afghan girls receive an education. The USA and the United Nations condemned the alleged closure of schools.
When the Taliban assumed control of the country in August last year, schools were shut across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, two months later, only boys and younger girls were allowed to resume their classes.
The reasoning given by the Taliban was that they wanted to ensure proper segregation of girls between the ages of 12 to 19 and that all schools operated in accordance with Islamic principles.
The Ministry of Education Has Not Yet Made Any Comments
A spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education released a video on Tuesday evening congratulating all the female students returning to campuses the next day. On Wednesday, the same Ministry released a notice, ordering schools to remain shut until a plan was drawn up for girls’ uniforms.
The spokesman for the Ministry did not accept any calls or respond to messages.
The Taliban administration is trying to run the nation in accordance with its interpretation of the Islamic law while simultaneously accessing billions of dollars in aid that it urgently requires to prevent widespread poverty and hunger.
“The UN in Afghanistan deplores today’s reported announcement by the Taliban that they are further extending their indefinite ban on female students above the 6th grade being permitted to return school,” said a statement made by the United Nations’ Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Published By :- Shubham Agarwal
Edited By :- Kritika Kashyap
