Taliban Threatens Afghan Schools Over Rumors of Accepting Girls Over 10

The Taliban has threatened schools in Afghanistan over rumors of accepting girls over 10 years old as students, further limiting girls' access to education in the country. Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, they have banned the education of girls past the sixth grade, affecting an estimated 80% of school-age Afghan girls and leaving over 1 million young minds deprived of learning opportunities.

In Kandahar, the Taliban's heartland, girls as young as 10 are being abruptly prevented from pursuing their education. The Taliban have expelled hundreds of pubescent female students from schools in the southern Afghan province, enforcing their ban on girls above the sixth grade or who have reached puberty from attending school. The group claims this is due to a shortage of female teachers, but the expulsions are part of the Taliban's extremist interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

The consequences of this ban extend beyond the individual, with the Afghan economy estimated to have lost over $500 million in the past year due to the lack of girls in secondary education. The girls face the threat of Taliban violence as they try to access education, and their dreams of becoming professionals are stifled by the Taliban's regime, which sees education as a threat.

Why this matters: The Taliban's restrictions on women and girls' rights since returning to power in 2021 have been widely criticized, with rights groups warning of the generational damage the education ban could cause. The ban is unpopular even in Kandahar, and all Afghans support girls' education, according to activists.

The Taliban have reportedly reached agreements with the international community, notably the United States, to gradually convert girls' schools into religious schools and reopen them under the Taliban's control. This plan aims to serve as a conduit for the Taliban to gain international legitimacy. Some girls' schools have already been reopened in certain southern provinces, and private schools have converted their girls' sections into madrasas (Islamic schools).

The Taliban have established a committee to Islamize the academic curriculum, removing subjects like culture, drawing, and civil education, which they consider un-Islamic. They have also established 'Jihadi Schools' focused on military training. This plan to convert modern schools into madrasas is seen as a regression in education and a promotion of extremism, as the curriculum and teachers employed by the Taliban will directly contribute to the spread of extremism.

Tariq Ali Bakheet, the special representative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), recently met with Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, the political deputy of the Taliban Prime Minister. Bakheet called for the removal of educational and employment restrictions on women in Afghanistan, praising their achievements in the economic sector and emphasizing the importance of education for Islamic countries. However, more than two years have passed since the closure of girls' schools and the suspension of education for women in Afghanistan, with no sign of reopening educational institutions.

The Taliban's ban on girls' and women's education has had tragic consequences. In September 2022, a suicide bombing at the Kaaj Higher Education Center in Kabul killed at least 53 people and wounded 110, including

Key Takeaways

• Taliban threatens Afghan schools over accepting girls over 10 years old.
• Taliban bans girls' education past 6th grade, affecting 80% of school-age girls.
• Taliban expels pubescent female students, citing lack of female teachers.
• Afghan economy lost $500M due to lack of girls in secondary education.
• Taliban plans to convert girls' schools into religious schools for legitimacy.