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Despite the previous declaration, Taliban authorities at the last minute withdrew the decision on reopening the high schools for girls in Afghanistan. After more than six months of anticipation, female students were supposed to return to school on 23 March 2022. At 9.00 Taliban leadership decided to keep the classrooms closed for the girls until school uniforms are designed in accordance with the Afghan customs, culture, and Sharia.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, expressed her frustration and disappointment in the failure of the de facto authorities of Afghanistan to fulfil their commitments to reopen schools for girls above the sixth grade. “The denial of education violates the human rights of women and girls – beyond their equal right to education, it leaves them more exposed to violence, poverty and exploitation”, she said. The High Commissioner also emphasized that disempowering half of Afghanistan’s population is counterproductive and unjust, and that it is a clear example of structural discrimination. She called on the de facto authorities to respect all girls’ rights to education and to open schools for everyone without further delay.
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, expressed his concerns as well, criticising that the Taliban move “despite repeated commitments, is a profound disappointment and deeply damaging for Afghanistan”. Restricting education like this violates the equal rights of women and girls to education, but it also jeopardises the future of Afghanistan by denying the country the benefits that Afghan girls and women could contribute.
The Executive Director of the UNICEF, Catherine Russell, also issued a statement in which she condemned the Taliban’s move as a “major setback for girls and their futures” and stressed that education “is the surest way to put the country on a surer path toward the peace and prosperity that the people of Afghanistan deserve”.
7/4/2022
