Girls Restricted from Attending Schools After 3rd Class in Afghanistan

Local Taliban officials have reportedly banned girls over 10 years of age from attending primary school classes in some provinces of Afghanistan bringing in its latest set of restrictions against female education. Officials from the Taliban-ruled Ministry of Education told principals of schools and short-term training classes in Ghazni province that “any girl over 10 years of age is not allowed to study in primary schools”, media reported.

A student in sixth grade- for which the Taliban had permitted education last year- said that girls who are over 10 years old were not allowed to enter the school. In some provinces, the local authorities of the “Ministry for Preaching and Guidance” separated girls based on age, the report claimed, adding that officials asked the principals of the girls’ schools to send the female students above the third grade home.

Following the exit of the US and NATO-led regime in Afghanistan, the Taliban in September 2021 banned girls from secondary education, ordering high schools to be reopened for boys only. Last December, it banned college and university-going women and imposed an indefinite ban on university education for thousands.

Last month, the UN criticized the Taliban for further increasing restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan in recent months, including on education and employment. The regime has barred women from most areas of public life and work. This includes banning girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade and prohibiting Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental organizations. The ban was also extended to employees of the United Nations in April.

Next Story:

Now you can get the latest stories from Hydnow every day. Click the link to subscribe. Click to follow Hydnow’s Facebook page and Twitter and Instagram