TC Web Desk
The Taliban regime in Afghanistan ordered closure of secondary schools for girls on Wednesday, hours after the schools reopened for the first time since August 2021, when the regime took over the country for a second time.
Quoting an official, The Guardian, in a report said, the Taliban decided against opening schools to girls beyond secondary school age. Teenage girls in Afghanistan have now been denied their right to an education for 187 days, said another news report.
The surprise decision of Taliban came late on Tuesday as Afghanistan’s education ministry prepared for the new year opening of school. Taliban spokesman Inamullah Samangani confirmed the development after the order led to a confusion among students.
Girls have been banned from school beyond middle school in most parts of Afghanistan since the Taliban took reins of the country on August 15, 2021. While universities opened up in much of the country earlier this year, most provinces closed educational institutions for girls and women, added reports.
Upon capturing power in the country, the Taliban had promised to ‘protect’ the rights of women, children and minorities. In September 2021, the regime allowed some girl schools (up to class 6) to reopen. Women were also permitted to attend universities. However, high schools for female students remained closed. The regime announced that classes for all girls would resume at the earliest.
In its order announcing reopening of schools for girls in January, the Taliban said educational institutes will reopen after the Afghan new year, which is celebrated on March 21, on the condition that boys and girls were separated either in different schools or by different learning hours. Last week, the regime announced to reopen schools in several provinces, including capital Kabul. However, it also said that schools in Kandahar – Taliban’s spiritual heartland – will not open until April.
