Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its latest report said that due to the imposition of new restrictions on the dress of female students and teachers in some provinces of Afghanistan, some students have dropped out of school.
“The Taliban is imposing increasingly strict dress codes on both students and teachers and enforcing these dress codes by expelling students, firing teachers and even closing down the entire school. The students have told us they think that this is an effort by the Taliban to convince them to leave school,” said Heather Barr, associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Meanwhile, Rina Amiri, the US Special Representative for Human Rights and Women in Afghanistan, criticized the closing of girls’ schools in Afghanistan, saying it is taking Afghanistan in a “negative direction.”
“The situation of women and children is continuing to go in a very negative direction. The longer this continues in this way without robust response from the Taliban, the greater the country is going to suffer more devastating consequences,” US Special Envoy Rina Amiri said in a conversation with VOA State Department bureau chief Nike Ching about women, girls and human rights in Afghanistan.
But the Ministry of Education said it is ready to open girls’ schools above the sixth grade if the leadership calls for it.
“The Ministry of Education is ready. Whenever leadership of the Islamic Emirate announces that schools will be opened above the sixth grade for girls, we are ready for this,” said Aziz Ahmad Reyan, spokesman for the Ministry of Education.
In addition to global reactions, the ban on girls’ schooling above the sixth grade has been met with widespread reactions from politicians, civil society activists and religious scholars.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education said that the schools for girls in grades 7-12 will be reopened in the near future.
“UNICEF promised to help the Ministry of Education in providing salaries for teachers. Also, the money will flow into accounts thay will prevent the existence of fake teachers,” said Aziz Ahmad Riyan, spokesman for the Ministry of Education.
Female students above grade six have been deprived of education since last week of March.
Meanwhile, teachers expressed frustration over the delay in their payments.
“Depriving girls from education and closing their schools have affected the government as well because it has been working on how to reopen the schools, but they are yet to find a solution. We ask the Islamic Emirate to reopen the schools for girls as soon as possible,” said Omarzada, a teacher.—Tolonews
