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Thousands of Afghan girls will return to secondary school on Wednesday, more than seven months after the Taliban seized power and imposed strict restrictions on women’s educational rights.
When the Taliban seized over in August, all schools were closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak; however, only boys and some younger girls were allowed to return two months later.
The right to universal education has become a sticking point in international aid and recognition discussions, with numerous states and organisations offering to compensate instructors.
Schools in numerous provinces, including the capital Kabul, will reopen on Wednesday, according to the education ministry, while those in Kandahar’s southern district, the Taliban’s spiritual home, will not return until next month.
There was no explanation provided.
According to the ministry, reopening the schools was always a government goal, and the Taliban would not budge under pressure.
“We are not reopening the schools to please the foreign community, nor are we doing it to earn international reputation,” said Aziz Ahmad Rayan, a spokesman for the ministry.
“It’s part of our commitment to provide education and other facilities to our children,” he told AFP.
The Taliban ordered that schools for girls aged 12 to 19 be segregated and run according to Islamic norms.
– ‘We have fallen behind in our studies.’
Some students expressed their want to return, even if it meant adhering to a stringent Taliban dress code.
“We’re already behind in our studies,” Raihana Azizi, 17, said as she dressed in a black abaya, a headscarf, and a veil over her face for class.
The Taliban have enforced a slew of restrictions on women, effectively barring them from numerous government professions, monitoring their attire, and prohibiting them from travelling outside of their cities alone.
Several women’s rights activists have also been arrested.
Despite the reopening of schools, many families are still wary of the Taliban and are hesitant to let their daughters to leave the house.
Others believe that girls should not be taught anything.
“Those females who completed their education have ended up sitting at home, and their future is uncertain,” said Heela Haya, a 20-year-old Kandahar resident who has decided to drop out.
“How do we see ourselves in the future?”
Afghan students frequently miss significant portions of the school year due to poverty or violence, and some students continue to attend classes far into their late teens or early twenties.
Human Rights Watch also questioned why girls should study in the first place.
“Why would you and your family go to such lengths to learn if you’ll never get the job you want?” A group assistant researcher, Sahar Fetrat, raised an issue.
The education ministry recognised that there was a teacher deficit, with many of those who fled the nation as the Taliban stormed to power among the tens of thousands.
“We need thousands of teachers, and we’re attempting to hire new teachers on a temporary basis to remedy this situation,” the official stated.
