By Behzad Sadiq
Daughters of Taliban fighters have joined the growing chorus of girls in Kandahar pleading for the de facto Taliban government to allow them to back into school, saying they are desperate and hopeless about their future.
The girls who spoke to Rukhshana Media say the closure of high schools for the past 20 months in Afghanistan has left their generation fearful for their lives and the impact it will have on their families and the broader community.
Negin*, 17, the daughter of a former Taliban soldier, says she cannot believe it’s her second year without school. She would have been in grade 11. She cites Islamic teachings to argue her right to education. “My father encouraged me to go to school even with the lack of security,” she says. “I didn’t think that the Taliban would come [to power] and the schools would be closed.”
“Prophet Mohammad said, ‘Seeking knowledge is compulsory for every Muslim’, and ‘Seek knowledge even if you have to go to China’. We only want our human and Islamic rights,” she adds.
In conversations with schoolgirls in Kandahar, the spiritual capital of the Taliban, a common theme emerges: a longing for education and the opportunities it brings. These girls are acutely aware of the value of learning, as it empowers them to make informed decisions, develop skills, and contribute positively to their communities.
Zarghuna*, whose father was a member of the Taliban, shares Negin’s frustrations. She was supposed to be in grade 10 but has been confined to her home due to the Taliban’s restrictions since they came to power in August 2021 and closed schools.
Zarghuna says her father had hoped his daughter would become a doctor, and had even moved the family to Kandahar’s city center for better educational opportunities for her. If schools remain closed, Zarghuna fears she and thousands of other girls will lose their chance to learn and may be forced into marriage.
“My father was martyred fighting for the Taliban, and now that the Taliban government has come, I can’t study,” she says. “In the last two years, no one helped us, I couldn’t go to school, and now I have to take care of the house.”
Shekiba*, another girl affected by the closures, is the daughter of a former Taliban member who resigned from his position in the group. As a student of Mahmood Tarzi high school in Kandahar, Shekiba had dreams of becoming a teacher and contributing to the development of society. “Not opening girls’ schools is to the detriment of all of us,” she says. “So, I ask the Islamic Emirate to open the gates of schools so that we can finish our studies and build our future.”
Asma*, whose father died fighting in the military against the Taliban, is also eager for schools to reopen. She was in grade 11 at Kandahar’s Zarghuna Anaa high school before the Taliban’s took power and banned her education. Now, her family struggles with economic hardship, and Asma’s dream of studying medicine seems increasingly unattainable. She urges the Taliban to allow women and girls to participate actively in Afghan society by reopening educational institutions.
Education expert Siddiqa Sarfaraz points to political differences within the Taliban leadership and a lack of educated members as reasons for the ongoing closures. The Taliban aims to change the educational curriculum, but the Ministry of Education faces challenges due to a shortage of professional staff. Furthermore, many Afghan cities and localities lack female teachers, complicating the situation for girls’ education under Taliban rule.
Ms Sarfaraz emphasizes the negative impact of school closures on girls’ lives and throughout society if this ban is maintained. “The Taliban must take serious steps in the field of women’s education and training,” she says. “Because the life and consciousness of a girl affect all the family. A literate girl can serve society as a doctor, teacher, etc., like other people, and also deliver more educated children to society in the future.”
Despite nearly two years of Taliban rule and the closure of all educational institutions for girls above grade 6, the group’s members have internally disagreed on the issue. Some say cultural differences are the reason for the closure, while others claim religion, and still others say its not up to them. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, a senior Afghan Taliban member and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, has said that schools should be opened for all girls.
After closing high schools to girls in August 2021, the Taliban banned girls from university the following year. Despite promises from the de facto government that they would reopen, the ban remains. While the Taliban has recently established a uniform for students including girls, the future of education for girls and women in Afghanistan is deeply uncertain.
(*Names have been changed to protect identities)
