Taliban passes blame on Afghan parents for closure of girls' schools

Drawing flak over the decision to close girls' schools in Afghanistan, the Taliban on Sunday shifted the blame on Afghan parents and said that people do not want their girls to attend school in the current situation.

Acting education minister Noorullah Munir while visiting Uruzgan province said, "You wouldn't need to ask me the same question if you ask how many people in this mosque are willing to send their 16-year-old daughter to school. You and I both grew up in the same Afghan society, and the culture is clear to everyone."

However, some Uruzgan residents stated that they are ready to send their daughters to school if the Taliban allows them, reported Tolo News.

They asked the current government to reopen girls' schools as soon as possible.

"I think that the minister came from Kabul and he cannot represent our people, because he came from Kabul. People in Uruzgan want their daughters to go back to school, and they used to go to school before," said Javid Khpolwak, civil society activist.

"Those schools which are closed should be reopened as soon as possible because it is the demand of the people," said Mohammad Wali Samsor, a resident of Uruzgan.

According to Munir, schools are closed to students above the sixth grade due to cultural constraints, but he emphasized that if a better environment is created, girls' schools above the sixth grade will be opened, reported Tolo News.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, has previously stated that girls' schools were closed due to religious issues.

Notably, The Taliban were publicly criticized globally after closing Paktia girls' schools after a brief opening.

It sparked serious reactions inside and outside of Afghanistan. On Saturday, dozens of girls took to the streets in the centre of Paktia to protest the closing of their schools, reported Tolo News.

The videos of the protests went viral on social media and triggered strong reactions by the Afghan public as well as famous politicians and human rights defenders.

Several human rights and education activists had urged world leaders in an open letter recently to mount diplomatic pressure on the Taliban to reopen secondary schools for girls in the war-torn country as the Taliban's brutal regime in Afghanistan will soon complete a year in August.

Young girls and women have been compromising with their aspirations as it has been almost 300 days since their development has been distorted, the activists said adding, that if this situation persists, their aims and hopes will suffer greatly, reported Khaama Press.

World leaders, regional allies, and international organizations were urged in the letter to take serious actions to fulfil their commitments in order to promote and protect Afghan girls' rights, especially the right to education which was snatched away from them after the Taliban-led Afghan government banned the education for girls in classes 6 and above.