Parents call for reopening of girls’ schools

KABUL (Khaama Press): On Saturday, several parents and students urged the caretaker government of Afghanistan to reopen secondary schools for girls, which had been shuttered for the previous 544 days.
Parents of the students expressed concern for their children’s future and urged the authorities to allow their daughters to return to school.
“We ask the Islamic Emirate to reopen schools and universities for our children,” said Samiullah, father of a student, ToloNews reported.
Families said that the closure of schools had led to increased psychiatric disorders in their daughters and asked for the reopening of the school beyond the sixth grade on March 21 to begin the new academic year.
Since the Takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, schooling above grade six has been closed, which, later in December last year, barred girls and women from going to universities and working with NGOs.
Although the interim administration insisted that the ban on girls’ education was temporary and that they would permit it once the environment was appropriate, more than one and a half years have passed since then. However, the environment is still unsuitable for girls attending universities and schools.
The uncertainty and the schools’ ongoing closures have created concerns among the parents and students, and they have frequently requested that the government end their worries by reopening the school doors for girls in grades beyond sixth this week.