With the start of the year 1403 in the Solar Hijri calendar, the Taliban Ministry of Education announced the beginning of the new academic year in Afghanistan on the first day of the month of Hamal. By ringing the school bell and issuing a statement, the group encouraged families to send their children to schools, madrasas, and other educational centers. However, the Taliban’s statement did not address the attendance of girls in schools. Upon hearing this news, female students once again mourned their lack of access to education. Some have waited for three years for the reopening of educational institutions at home, expressing disappointment as their hopes for school reopening in the new academic year were dashed by the news of continued closures. Concerned about their future under Taliban rule, these students express weariness of life under the Taliban’s flag and fear remaining illiterate. Some also worry that the closure of girls’ schools will hinder their aspirations.
Some parents of female students, who have repeatedly requested the reopening of schools for their daughters, also assert that since the Taliban took control and shut down girls’ schools, they have seen their daughters suffer at home. The news of the continued closure of educational facilities for girls has left them disappointed and concerned. They further explain that if schools continue to remain closed for girls and economic hardship persists, they may have to marry off their daughters or turn to illegal migration to Iran and Pakistan.
Maryam, a ninth-grade student who was supposed to enter the eleventh grade in the new solar year, like hundreds of other female students, had hoped for the reopening of schools, but the announcement from the Taliban Ministry of Education on the first day of the new year turned her joy into sorrow. She says, “On New Year’s Day, we were preparing to celebrate with my family after Iftar when I heard from the television that the Taliban rang the school bell and still haven’t said anything about reopening schools for girls. At that moment, I felt weak and helpless. My mother forced me to break my fast to prevent me from feeling worse. I can’t express how upset I am, but I’m distressed. I started the first day of the new year with sadness and sorrow.”
She adds that she has been waiting for the reopening of schools for three years now, and at the beginning of this year, she also had hope for the reopening of girls’ schools, but with the ringing of the school bell by the Taliban, she has once again become disappointed. She says, “This year, unlike previous years, I hadn’t prepared all my school supplies. I had only taken out my books because my school uniform from three years ago was too short. I was waiting for the Taliban to give me good news so I could go and adjust my uniform. Even if the Taliban say to wear a black chador or uniform from head to toe, we’ll accept it, but they have forgotten that the hearts of girls in this country are also pounding for the reopening of schools.”
Madina, another student deprived of schooling, also held out hope for the reopening of schools. However, the news of schools remaining closed has utterly disappointed her, and she worries about her future under the Taliban’s rule. “Yesterday, when I heard that the Taliban still haven’t addressed the issue of girls’ education, I was deeply upset. I feel completely hopeless. While the start of the year brings joy for many, for girls, it has once again become the beginning of misfortune.”
She explains that three years without education have gradually caused her to forget how to write. “A few days ago, I visited one of the institutions, and they handed me a form to fill out. You might not believe it, but I had forgotten the spelling of some words. At that moment, I felt terrible, and tears streamed down my face as the pen remained in my hand.” Madina fears the enduring rule of the Taliban and expresses that if this group continues to govern, amidst the turmoil, she will forsake her dreams and succumb to the fate imposed by the Taliban on her and hundreds of other girls in Afghanistan.
This signifies the third year of Taliban dominance in Afghanistan. Throughout this period, the group has stripped women and girls of their social activities and fundamental rights to education, employment, and freedom of movement, aiming to oppress them. Previously, the Taliban have enacted 50 restrictive decrees targeting women’s pursuits, effectively confining them to their homes.
Khadija, another female student, says that this group’s opposition to education and the advancement of women and girls has made them hopeless in the reopening of schools, and the Taliban Ministry of Education’s announcement is a confirmation seal of her disbelief in this group. She says, “As long as the Taliban rule Afghanistan, they will never allow girls and women to study and progress. Girls and women should not hope for anything from this group.”
Some parents of female students also state that they have become disillusioned with the news of schools remaining closed for girls and urge the Taliban to end the crisis of closed doors to education for girls as soon as possible.
Mohammad Nader is the father of three female students. He says that his daughters have been deprived of education since the Taliban came to power, leading to witnessing their suffering at home. He says that people have repeatedly asked the Taliban to open the doors of education to girls, but the Taliban have not taken action. “One of my daughters is left out of university, and my other two daughters are left out of school. With each passing month, they become more depressed and hopeless. My financial situation is not good enough to at least get a scholarship for one of them to study abroad.”
Asma, a mother of four daughters, voices her apprehension about their prospects under Taliban rule. She discloses waiting three years for schools to reopen for girls. Despite enduring economic hardship and a lack of job opportunities, they stayed in Afghanistan solely for their daughters’ education. Now, with no sign of schools reopening for girls, they’ve opted for illegal migration to Iran. “We’ve endured the Taliban only for our daughters’ future. Throughout, we’ve known nothing but suffering and hunger. My husband lost his job, and my daughters couldn’t attend school. We’re compelled to either migrate or marry off our daughters. If they remain at home, they’ll suffer from hunger and despair.”
This comes as the Taliban’s decision to keep the doors of education closed to girls has drawn widespread reactions from the international community and human rights organizations. Key prerequisites for many countries to recognize this group include reopening schools for girls and easing restrictions on women’s work and activities. Many countries have demanded that the Taliban end the deprivation of girls from education in numerous meetings held on the Afghanistan issue. In the latest development regarding the start of the new academic year by the Taliban, several countries and international organizations, including the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Amnesty International, have called on the Taliban to end the prohibition on girls’ education as soon as possible. UNAMA stated in a statement that it has been more than 900 days since girls above the sixth grade in Afghanistan have been barred from attending school.