Afghanistan: Taliban allows schools, universities to open back in March

The Taliban said on Sunday that in March 2022, it will open schools and universities for both girls and boys.

Zabiullah Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan's Deputy Minister of Information and Culture and spokesman, told a US-based news agency that while the Taliban is not opposed to education, males and girls must be separated in schools, according to Tolo News.

According to The Khaama Press, Mujahid stated that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education are working hard to reopen higher schools and public universities in two months.

According to the statement, higher schools have reopened in most provinces, however other provinces remain closed due to economic concerns.

He underlined that males and girls will be separated in classes, and that new dormitories for girls are being built throughout Afghanistan.

The Khaama Press claimed that 150 governmental universities in Afghanistan have been closed for nearly six months, while boys and girls study in 40 private universities.

In public schools, girls are only permitted to attend classes up to the sixth grade.

In most parts of Afghanistan, girls have not been allowed to return to school beyond grade 7 since the Taliban took power in mid-August.

The closure of girls' schools has sparked outrage both within the country and within the international community.

Meanwhile, according to Tolo News, a number of female students who have remained out of school have said that the Islamic Emirate should honour its word and reopen the schools in the new year.

"We have heard a lot of promises but these promises must become practical. We were deprived of going to school due to Covid-19 and then because of recent changes in the country," said Bahara, a student.

"We are calling for the immediate reopening of schools, and the government should pave the ground for this," said Azada, a student.

According to Tolo News, a number of female instructors claim they have not received their salary in five months and have requested the Islamic Emirate to address their problems.

"We have not been called to schools for the past five months. Even those teachers at boys` schools face an uncertain fate," said Suhaila Omar Zada, a teacher.