Schools, universities in Afghanistan to reopen in March, says Taliban

The Taliban on Sunday said that it will open schools and universities for girls and boys in March 2022. Deputy Minister of Information and Culture and spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Zabiullah Mujahid speaking with US-based news agency Taliban is not against education, but boys and girls must be completely segregated in schools, reported Tolo News.

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

The spokesman said that higher schools in most of the provinces have been reopened and in some provinces, they are still closed due to economic issues. He reiterated that girls and boys will be separated in classrooms and they are working to build more hostels for girls around Afghanistan.

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It has been nearly six months that 150 public universities have been closed across Afghanistan, reported The Khaama Press. Girls are only allowed to attend classes up to sixth grade in public schools. Since the Taliban takeover in mid-August, girls in most parts of Afghanistan have not been allowed back to school beyond grade 7. The closing of girls' schools has been met with sharp reactions inside the country as well as from the international community.

Meanwhile, a number of female students who remain out of school said the Islamic Emirate should keep its promise and reopen the schools in the new year, reported Tolo News.

"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, another student.

A number of female teachers said they have not received their salaries for five months and they urged the Islamic Emirate to address their challenges, reported Tolo News. "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.