Islamic scholars call on Taliban to reopen schools for girls in Afghanistan

Islamic scholars at a gathering in Afghanistan`s Paktia province called on the Taliban to reopen schools for girls, local media reported. Scholars issued a resolution comprising five points calling on the Islamic Emirate to reopen the school for girls in grades 7-12, TOLOnews reported.

"We, the religious clerics in Paktia, call on the Islamic Emirate to facilitate the grounds for the education of girls under an Islamic structure. Islam is committed to the education of girls but under an Islamic structure," they said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Taliban`s Ministry of Education (MoE) said the Islamic Emirate is close to a solution for reopening the school for girls. "When we ask the Minister (of Education), he told me the issue is close and a proper solution will be reached in the near future and that the girls will return to the school," said Aziz Ahmad Riyan, a spokesperson for the ministry, according to TOLOnews.

The Taliban regime which took over Kabul in August last year has curtailed women`s rights and freedoms, with women largely excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions. Earlier, dozens of female students in Afghanistan`s capital city of Kabul took to the streets demanding the Taliban regime withdraw its decision to ban girls from attending school above the sixth grade.

Chanting the slogans of "education is our absolute right," the protestors called for the reopening of schools for girls in grades 7-12 across Afghanistan, Tolo News reported. According to HRW, women and girls are blocked from accessing health care as well. 

Reports suggest that women and girls facing violence have no escape route. Allowing girls into schools and other educational institutes has been one of the main demands of the international community. The majority of countries have refused to formally recognize the Taliban amid worries over their treatment of girls and women and other human rights issues.

 

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