The Taliban did not open girls' schools, they closed them.
On the day that Afghan girls were promised the reopening of girls' schools, the Taliban's Ministry of Education announced that these schools would remain closed until further notice. The announcement referred to the issue of "appropriate school attire."
Wednesday, March 23 (Farvardin 3), could have been an important day for female students in Afghanistan. With the Taliban’s promise to “reopen girls’ schools,” girls were supposed to be allowed to attend classes, just like boys, from that day on. However, according to published reports, this Taliban decision did not last, and girls’ schools will remain closed until “further notice.”
According to “Tulu News” (a news network in Afghanistan), Aziz Ahmad Rayan, spokesman for the Taliban Ministry of Education, said: “All girls’ schools above the sixth grade will remain closed until further notice.” According to him, “the final decision in this regard will be made by the leadership of the Islamic Emirate.”
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Education in this regard, the issue of “appropriate school uniform” was mentioned. According to the statement, “Whenever the school uniform is designed in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture, then, based on the order of the leadership of the Islamic Emirate, the aforementioned schools [girls’ schools] will be opened.”
The ban on girls attending schools has also had a wide impact on social media. Videos and photos have been posted on these networks showing female students with tearful eyes asking questions such as: "Is it a sin that we are girls? Is it a sin that we study?"
