KABUL (Tolo News): The American Women’s Peace and Education Delegation at a press conference in Kabul called for the reopening of schools for female students over grade sixth. The delegation said they came to Kabul to celebrate the reopening of girls’ schools. The delegation also urged the US to unfreeze the Afghan assets.
“We know that young Afghans are also hungry for education and we have planned this trip to celebrate the opening of the Afghan schools for girls. We were shocked when we heard that the secondary schools were not going to open,” said a member of the delegation. The delegation is in Kabul for more than a week.
“We are urging the Afghan authorities to restart education for all girls and boys and in particular for grade seven to twelve for girls, which have yet to begin,” said Masouda Sultan, the coordinator of the delegation. This comes as some Islamic clerics in Pakistan also voiced support for girls access to education in Afghanistan.
“We must work in collaboration with civil society actors for the implementation of innovative approaches and cultural transformation on the girls’ and women’s education and empowerment, especially to increase the rates of the completion of education by girls at all levels across Muslim countries,” Khateeb Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, said a famous Pakistani Islamic scholar as quoted by Dawn.
“We must facilitate women and girls to avail themselves of opportunities for economic growth for which we call upon Muslim governments to invest money for improving girls’ education so that they have the knowledge, education, skills and self-confidence to participate in economic spheres,” said Allama Syed Hashim Musavi, a religious leader of the Hazara community from Madressah Baaqirul Uloom, Quetta, as quoted ny Dawn.
Meanwhile, Heather Barr, associate director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, once again criticized the closing of schools for girls in grades 7-12. The International should not make exceptions for the Islamic Emirate, she said, and “should be stopping some Taliban leaders from traveling.” The Islamic Emirate’s decision to ban girls above grade six from going to schools has faced a widespread reaction inside and outside Afghanistan.
