The Taliban's history of restricting women's education has intensified since the withdrawal of US and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan.
In a concerning development, local Taliban officials in some provinces of Afghanistan have issued a new set of restrictions against female education, reportedly banning girls over the age of 10 from attending primary school classes. The directive from the Taliban-ruled Ministry of Education has sparked widespread concerns over women's rights and access to education in the country.
According to a report by BBC Persian, officials from the Taliban-ruled Ministry of Education held meetings with school principals and short-term training classes in Ghazni province. During these meetings, they explicitly conveyed that "any girl over 10 years of age is not allowed to study in primary schools."
This move comes after the Taliban had previously allowed education for girls up to the sixth grade. However, now girls above the third grade are being sent home, and girls over 10 years old are prohibited from entering the school premises.
In some provinces, local authorities from the "Ministry for Preaching and Guidance" have also been involved in separating girls based on age, further exacerbating concerns over the future of female education in the region.
The Taliban's history of restricting women's education has intensified since the withdrawal of US and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan. Last year, the group banned girls from secondary education, reopening high schools for boys only. In December, they extended the ban to college and university-going women, imposing an indefinite restriction on university education for thousands.
In response to these concerning developments, the United Nations (UN) recently criticized the Taliban for increasing restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, particularly on education and employment. Afghan women have been barred from most areas of public life and work, limiting their opportunities for growth and progress in society.