Afghanistan: Taliban Bar 500 Fifth-Grade Girls from School in Kandahar
Afghanistan: Taliban Bar 500 Fifth-Grade Girls from School in Kandahar
—————————————–
The Taliban have reportedly barred around 500 fifth-grade girls in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, from continuing their education, citing that they have reached the age of puberty. The move appears to extend restrictions to younger students who would otherwise be eligible to attend primary school.
Afghan sources within the provincial education administration said the decision followed inspection visits to several schools by a joint delegation comprising representatives of the education department, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, and the Taliban’s council of religious scholars.
According to the sources, delegation members informed the affected students that they could no longer continue their studies, citing their alleged attainment of puberty. However, no clear criteria were provided for determining the girls’ ages or the basis for the decision.
The measure has reportedly caused concern and frustration among families, who fear the impact on their daughters’ educational prospects. The reported ban is particularly significant because Taliban authorities have formally permitted girls to attend school through the sixth grade, although the latest action suggests that restrictions may also be imposed on the basis of puberty rather than grade level.
Similar restrictions were reported in Kandahar in 2022, when hundreds of girls were prevented from attending school for the same stated reason. Questions have persisted over the criteria used by authorities to determine when students have reached puberty.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed extensive restrictions on girls’ and women’s education, including barring girls from secondary education and women from universities.
According to estimates by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), approximately 2.4 million Afghan girls have been deprived of secondary education as a result of the restrictions imposed since the Taliban’s return to power.
