By Rukhshana Media
A group of women protested on Tuesday by calling on the Taliban to stop politicizing the education system and allow girls in sixth grade and above back to school.
The protesters gathered in front of Malali High School in Kabul, where they urged the Taliban to respect women’s rights, allow them to participate in government, cultural and socio-economic affairs in society.
Wahida Amiri, one of the protesters, said that they will not step back until they get a positive response from the Taliban for their demands.
“After the collapse of the republic of Afghanistan, all women turned to housewives. We have protested against the closure of the school for girls many times. Today, we have protested to tell the Taliban to stop politicizing the educational system by promising the girls who dropped out of school that they can go to next level in the coming year,” she added.
After the Taliban swept to power in mid August, most girls and women over 12 years old were not allowed back to public schools and universities. But when challenged with multiple protests by university students and women’s rights activists in Kabul and provinces, the Taliban promised that the government will recognize this year as a complete educational year for the girls, and said that from next year, they can go to class.
But protestors hit back at this. “The students receive certificates that they have not been taught for. It is unacceptable” one said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
In a statement the protestors released, the women emphasized that the educational system should be free from any kind of linguistic, ethnic, tribal, or sexual biases. The press release also says that women and men should have equal rights to undertake positions in public offices and urged the reopening of secondary schools as soon as possible.
