Taliban Reversal on Girls' Education

In the country of Afghanistan, on March 23, 2022, the Taliban once again turned away teenage girls from their education after waiting for 186 days. Girls’ education is currently barred from the sixth grade forward until an appropriate dress code is determined for the female students and educators, said leaders of the Taliban.

The girls showed up to school to resume their education after the closing of schools in August when the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. When one of the students walked into her classroom, her principal immediately deterred them by saying, “Don’t come in here until we’ve got official permission. And when you come back, you have to wear a black face veil, a black chador, and a black scarf.” The girls argued that they were already wearing modest clothes, one of them saying they were prepared to wear a burka if they must, but they were told that “they had to leave” (Qazizai, Hadid).

When asked about the closure, Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesperson, said that there were “multiple issues” at play, and leadership held a meeting regarding girls’ schools but made the decision to keep schools closed until a further meeting. When the Taliban retook control of the country in August, it promised to protect women’s rights according to Islamic law and traditions (Yusufzai, Kwan). A Taliban leader who requested anonymity from NBC News said they “are not against girls’ education, but before sending girls to school, they want to create a safe environment for them in the county.” However, the council says they consider it a “minor problem” and a “technical issue," but much of the public sees it as the Taliban’s way of continuing to put a hold on girls' education.

Most of the Taliban leaders are against the closure of schools. A senior police officer and Taliban leader posed the question saying, “look, more than half of our population comprises females. How can you develop your country and build institutions when you stop your females from getting an education?” He also stated he believes it should be their “top responsibility to create an environment for girls to freely go to school, colleges, and universities per the Islamic Shariah and our local customs and traditions.”

Following the ban of schooling for girls over the sixth grade, they allowed women to attend college with strict segregation from male students and a strictly-enforced dress code, with secondary school remaining off-limits. Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace Prize winner for her fight for every child to receive an education, said the ban will not last forever. After the previous ban from 1996 to 2001, the last time the Taliban had control over Afghanistan, she believes it will be “much harder this time-that is because women have seen what it means to be educated, what it means to be empowered.”