Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the first Deputy Prime Minister, gave hope on girls’ education in Afghanistan, saying the issue is pending for a better decision. However, he did not shade brighter light on the status of the decision in progress or the flexibilities the Islamic Emirate may consider on female education across the country.
“A good action will happen in this [education] regard,” Baradar said, according to local media. “There may be goodness in this [education] regard.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education (MoE) expressed preparedness to comply with the final decision made under the current leadership should they announce reopening of secondary and high school for girls.
“This is in the authority of the Islamic Emirate’s leadership. The Ministry of Education has made preparations—whenever the leadership of the Islamic Emirate orders, the schools for female students from grade 7-12 will be reopened,” said Aziz Ahmad Riyan, a spokesman of the MoE, as TOLOnews quoted. Last month, the Islamic Emirate on a formal decree banned female students of grade six and above from attending classes in schools across the country.
“On 2 of Hamal [March 23], we were ordered by the office of the Islamic Emirate’s leadership to suspend the girls’ classes from grade 7-12 for a temporary period of time and until a general decision is made. As long as I know, efforts are underway in this regard,” Riyan said.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, a German member of the European Parliament Hannah Neuman, urged the Islamic Emirate to reconsider the suspension of girls’ school that has deprived female students of their fundamental right – the right to education. She expressed concerns over the ongoing political crisis in Afghanistan, where stories of violence against protesters, journalists and basic human rights have echoed worldwide.
“I heard many stories about violence, about violence against protestors, violence against journalists, about enforced disappearances, also enforced disappearances of people who just did their job in the administration, but with the new rulers taking over were not wanted anymore,” she exclaimed, according to the local media. Criticizing the groups leadership in Afghanistan, Neuman elaborated the knowledge and skills needed to lead a country that represents citizens of the nation.
“The Taliban are good fighters apparently because they managed to take over a country, but governing a country needs a rather different set of skills, it especially needs leaders that listen to the citizens that they want to represent,” she explained. Despite pressures by the international community to reopen girls’ schools, female students ranging from secondary to high schools are yet to be allowed to attend classes.
In August 15, 2021 the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, rolling back the foremost achievements of the post-2001 reconstruction efforts on overall growth of the country, including the education sectors.—KP News
