Female students in Farah call on Taliban to reopen girls' schools

Kabul [Afghanistan], November 28 : Afghan girls in the south-western province of Farah said they are increasingly anxious over their schools being closed and called on the Taliban to reopen the schools beyond grade six for girls.
They said it is necessary to learn modern education besides religious lessons, reported Tolo News.
"We call on the government to reopen the girls' schools besides religious education, so we can continue with our learning," said Fatima, a student.
"Along with studying religious lessons, hopefully, the schools be reopened because our community needs female doctors and I want to become a doctor in the future," said Zahra, a student.
This comes as officials of the Department of Education in Farah said that around 3,500 female students are studying in 19 seminaries in the province, reported Tolo News.
"We have 18 to 19 seminaries for women and it has between 120 to 130 teachers and around 3,500 students," said Akhtar Mohammad Zaeem, head of the provincial department of education.
This comes as the acting Minister of Education during a visit to Baghlan province emphasized the need to teach modern education, reported Tolo News.
Meanwhile, residents of Farah also criticized the delay in reopening secondary schools for Afghan girls, reported Pakistan Observer.
"Islam orders that both males and females have the right to be educated, therefore, we ask the government to open schools," said Shir Ahmad, a resident.
Farah province has 372 schools, of which 81 are dedicated to girls.
Earlier, the Taliban shifted the blame to Afghan parents and said that people do not want their girls to attend school in the current situation.
Acting Education Minister Noorullah Munir while visiting Uruzgan province said, "You wouldn't need to ask me the same question if you ask how many people in this mosque are willing to send their 16-year-old daughter to school. You and I both grew up in the same Afghan society, and the culture is clear to everyone."
However, some Uruzgan residents stated that they are ready to send their daughters to school if the Taliban allows them, reported Tolo News.
They asked the current government to reopen girls' schools as soon as possible.
"I think that the Minister came from Kabul and he cannot represent our people, because he came from Kabul. People in Uruzgan want their daughters to go back to school, and they used to go to school before," said Javid Khpolwak, a civil society activist.
"Those schools which are closed should be reopened as soon as possible because it is the demand of the people," said Mohammad Wali Samsor, a resident of Uruzgan.
According to Munir, schools are closed to students above the sixth grade due to cultural constraints. Still, he emphasized that if a better environment is created, girls' schools above the sixth grade will be opened, reported Tolo News.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, has previously stated that girls' schools were closed due to religious issues.
Notably, the Taliban were publicly criticized globally after closing Paktia girls' schools after a brief opening.
Several human rights and education activists had urged world leaders in an open letter recently to mount diplomatic pressure on the Taliban to reopen secondary schools for girls in the war-torn country as the Taliban's brutal regime in Afghanistan will soon complete a year in August.
Young girls and women have been compromising with their aspirations as it has been almost 450 days since their development has been distorted. The activists added that if this situation persists, their aims and hopes will suffer greatly, reported Khaama Press.
World leaders, regional allies, and international organizations were urged in the letter to take serious actions to fulfil their commitments in order to promote and protect Afghan girls' rights, especially the right to education which was snatched away from them after the Taliban-led Afghan government banned the education for girls in classes 6 and above.