Girls say closed schools causing mental stress

KABUL (Tolo News): Girls interviewed by TOLOnews expressed concerns over the closing of schools and said that they have been struggling with mental stress due to this issue. They called on the Islamic Emirate to reopen the schools as soon as possible.
Maliha in grade 12, Sajida in grade 10, and Hakima in grade 8, are three students who have taken up carpet weaving since the Islamic Emirate closed schools above grade six. They said that they have decided to bring their attention to carpet weaving in a bid to avoid mental stress.
“There are no lessons. We are not allowed to go to school and so I am weaving the carpet so my mind could not be pressured,” said Sajida, a student. “I see a difficult and dark future ahead of me. We are obliged to spend our whole life in carpet weaving or learning another craft to make our future,” said Maliha, a student. “My father was trying so hard to pay our school fee but since the Taliban came to power, I have no hope and see a dark future,” she said.
“Every time I come home my children are asking when will the schools be reopened. It makes me sad but I give them motivation,” said Sayed Jamil, father of Hakima. The deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, Bilal Karimi, said that the issue has been addressed in a statement of the Ministry of Education but did not provide any further details. “We rely on the statement of the Ministry of Education regarding this issue,” he said.
A university instructor, Sayed Mohammad, believes that there is an internal disagreement among the Islamic Emirate’s leadership regarding girls’ access to the school. “The internal disagreement existing among the Taliban caused a ban on girls’ access to school,” he said. The girls’ schools beyond grade six have been closed for nearly 270 days.