The school year begins in Afghanistan with more than a million girls banned by the Taliban

2024-03-20 09:18:02

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The school year began on Wednesday in Afghanistan, although without the girls whom the Taliban banned from classes starting in sixth grade, making it the only country with restrictions on female education.

More than a million girls were affected by the ban, according to the United Nations children’s agency, which estimated that five million were already out of schools before the Taliban takeover due to lack of facilities and other reasons.

The Taliban Ministry of Education commemorated the start of the new academic year with a ceremony that female journalists could not attend. The invitations sent to reporters said that “due to the lack of a suitable space for sisters, we apologize to female journalists.”

At a ceremony, Taliban Education Minister Habibullah Agha said the ministry was trying to “improve the quality of modern science and religious education as much as possible.” The Taliban has prioritized Islamic knowledge at the expense of basic mathematical and linguistic knowledge with its turn towards madrasas or religious schools.

The minister also asked students to avoid wearing clothes that contradict Islamic and Afghan values.

Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, said they were trying to bring education to “all remote areas of the country.”

The Taliban have said in the past that continuing to educate girls goes against their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or sharia, and that some conditions are needed for them to return to schools. However, it has made no progress in creating those conditions.

The group also banned female education when it ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s.

Despite initially promising a more moderate mandate, the group has expelled women from higher education, from public spaces such as parks and from most jobs within the strict measures imposed after taking control of the country due to the withdrawal of US and NATO troops in 2021.

The ban on girls’ education remains the main obstacle to the Taliban gaining international recognition as rulers of Afghanistan.

Although Afghan children have access to education, Human Rights Watch has criticized the Taliban, saying their “abusive” education policies harm boys as well as girls. In a report published in December, the group said less attention was being paid to the profound damage done to children’s education due to the departure of qualified teachers – including women -, regressive changes to the curriculum and an increase in physical punishment. which had caused a decline in attendance.

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