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Added on the 23/03/2022 12:32:40 - Copyright : France 24 EN
Afghan girls, back in class for the first time since the Taliban seized power in August last year, had to pack up their belongings and file out of their schools. The Taliban ordered secondary girls schools in Afghanistan to shut just hours after they reopened, an official confirmed, sparking confusion over the policy reversal by the hardline Islamist group. IMAGES
For more than nine months, Afghan girls over the age of 11 have been prohibited from going to high school. The Taliban have not reneged on the ban they imposed on taking power last August, despite their initial promise to do so. In the western city of Herat, FRANCE 24's reporters followed one teacher who hopes that her former students will be able to continue their education. They also met a teacher who is defying the ban by giving clandestine lessons. Meanwhile, some fathers are trying to convince the authorities to reopen girls' schools for their daughters.
The Taliban ordered girls' secondary schools in Afghanistan to shut just hours after they reopened, sparking heartbreak and confusion over the policy reversal by the hardline Islamist group.
The Taliban has sparked outrage and concern among rights groups, after it reversed stance and closed secondary schools for girls across Afghanistan. Thousands of young students were sent home, confused and worried about their future. Many Western countries have made girls' education a key condition to resuming financial aid to Afghanistan.
"We join millions of Afghan families today in expressing deep, deep disappointment and condemnation with the Taliban's decision not to allow women and girls to return to school above grade six," US State Department spokesman Ned Price tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
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