Officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan say the IEA is committed to reopening of girls’ schools across the country. The IEA has reiterated its promise to reopen secondary schools for girls, closed for more than 400 days.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) says that according to Sharia, they are committed to maintaining the women’s rights as they are working on the curriculum and uniforms of girls’ schools, but due to economic and security problems and unfavorable conditions, girls’ schools have been closed and by addressing the respective problems schools will reopen across the country.
Meanwhile, in his recent visit to Bamyan, the newly appointed acting minister of education, Habibullah Agha, said that high school girl students will be able to return to the classrooms as soon as they implement a special mechanism.
“We will not plan to reopen girls’ schools without any mechanism as in the previous government the boys and the girls were together. The Islamic system does not allow it,” acting minister of education said, adding that the education ministry is working on a particular mechanism for reopening the girls’ schools across the country.
This comes after high-ranking officials of the Islamic Emirate spoke about the importance of education for both boys and girls in the country. Recent remarks of the IEA officials in connection with reopening of girls’ schools in the country are giving hopes to students that secondary schools will reopen soon, once the problems in the sector are addressed.
On the other hand, with girls’ middle and high schools continue to be closed in Afghanistan, a number of women’s rights activists, parents and female students have once again asked for reopening of girls’ schools in the country.
Despite of continued insistence of the Afghan people and the international community, until now the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not taken the necessary steps to reopen girls’ schools across the country. Female students from 7th – 12th grade are hoping and waiting to hear the news of reopening of the schools across the country.
The parents of the female students say that the keeping the doors of the school closed has not only deprived the students from getting education, but has also made them suffer from mental illnesses.
Saida Ahmadi