Afghanistan: An official said no schools will close this year. (File)
Kabul:
The Taliban will allow girls around Afghanistan to return to classrooms when secondary schools reopen on Thursday, an education official said, after months of uncertainty over whether the group will allow girls and women to have full access to education.
Aziz Ahmad Rayan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education, told Reuters: “All schools will be open to all boys and girls.
“But there are some conditions for girls,” he said, adding that female students will be taught separately from boys and with only female teachers.
He thinks that in some rural areas where there is a shortage of female teachers, older male teachers will be allowed to teach girls.
“No schools will close this year. If any schools close, it is the responsibility of the education department to open it,” Rayan added.
Allowing girls and women to enter schools and colleges has been one of the main demands made by the international community to the hardline Islamist movement since it toppled the government it was West backed last August.
To date, most countries have refused to officially recognize the Taliban, amid concerns about their treatment of girls and women and allegations of human rights abuses against former soldiers and soldiers. government officials were overthrown.
The Taliban have vowed to investigate allegations of abuse and say they are not seeking revenge against their old enemies.
The last time the group ruled Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, they banned women’s education and most jobs. Since regaining power, boys and men have returned to education in far greater numbers than girls and women.
The Taliban are seeking to run the country according to an interpretation of Islamic law, while also accessing billions of dollars in development aid it desperately needs to prevent widespread poverty.
Sanctions against some of the group’s leading members have complicated the situation.
The Taliban say they respect women’s rights under Islamic law and local customs. However, many women have reported that restrictions on access to public life, including employment, force some to leave the workforce.
Heather Barr, deputy director of women’s rights at Human Rights Watch, urged the international community to combat complacency following the announcement.
“Sponsors focus a lot on girls’ high schools – many donors have told me they see the issue as a ‘totem,’” she said.
Barr added that reopening schools does not necessarily mean that the broader rights of women and girls in society will be protected.
Farzana, 17, said she washed and ironed her uniform because she was anticipating going to her Kabul classroom with friends. After six months at home, she said she and others struggled mentally as they had to leave school.
“I feel very strong. We can show not only (Taliban) but also to the world that we never stop and Afghanistan is not going back to decades ago,” she said.
