The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has said that it is making effort to resolve the problem of suspension of girls’ schools in the country. A spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has said that the suspension of girls’ schools is temporary not permanent.
Answering a question asked about the closing of girls’ schools above sixth grade, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, in an interview with CGTN TV said that suspension of girls’ schools in the country was temporary.
“This suspension is a temporary suspension, and it is not a permanent ban, it has never been called a ban.
There is a large percentage of society that has very strict ideas of what women can do and what they cannot do, and for that reason, the government is trying to take an approach that is gradual, it takes those people that do not understand some of the basic Islamic rights of Afghan citizens or of any human being, and the human rights, to try to convince them.
It is due to lack of knowledge of that part of the society,” he said, adding that the IEA is trying to address the problem.
It has been over 300 days since girls’ schools have been closed, government officials have said that it depends upon the order of the leader of Islamic Emirate.
On the other hand, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Chief of Human Rights Fiona Frazer, in an interview with a local TV said that they were trying to interact with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) so that they could reopen girls’ school in the country.
“I think that we need to continue to keep raising what we see as concerns on the ground and to keep interacting and engaging with IEA” she said.
Frazer considers the closing of girls’ schools an obstacle to the country’s progress and said that this would have a bad effect on the country’s economy and progress.
Meanwhile, the UNAMA deputy head in his recent remarks has expressed concern over the closure of girls’ schools in the country, saying that the education and participation of women and girls in public life was fundamental to modern society.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has repeatedly said that they are working on a mechanism for the reopening of girls’ schools in the country. Afghans particularly a number of religious ulamas in various gatherings have asked the Islamic Emirate to reopen doors of girls’ schools to the country’s girls so that all girls above 7 grade can go to continue their education.
It is worth mentioning that 310 days have passed since girls’ schools beyond the sixth grade have been closed. All are waiting to hear the reopening of girls’ schools in the country.
Zarabi
