New school year starts, with girls told to stay home until preparation of law in 'accordance with Islamic law, Afghan culture'
The Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan ordered schools for girls to shut down on Wednesday, citing lack of a "draft plan according to Islamic law."
All girls’ schools, intermediate as well as secondary, "will be closed until further notice," the Ministry of Education told the official Bakhtar News Agency.
March 23 marks the new school year in Afghanistan, as officials of the interim government held an event to mark reopening of the educational institutions.
The ministry added that girls' schools would be "closed until a plan was drawn up in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture."
Only female students studying in grade six and below are now allowed to attend school.
A ministry spokesman later said this closure would remain until further notice, adding that they would reopen after the government "finalizes its policy as per Shariah (Islamic law) for women's education."
The Taliban has come under severe criticism for shutting down educational institutions for women and girls.
However, the interim government has argued that it lacks proper funding to run schools and pay for the salaries of teachers.
It was after at least seven months that schools for girls reopened in the war-torn country.
The Taliban returned to power after 20 years of war and conflict with foreign forces that withdrew from Afghanistan in August last year. This resulted in a melt-down of the US-backed Kabul administration and paving the way for the Taliban to enter the modern-day capital city.
After the takeover, the US blocked the release of over $7 billion of Afghan reserves and later said it would divide this and hand over half of the money to victims of the 2001 twin tower attacks. The second half will be returned to Afghanistan through non-governmental organizations, Washington has said.
At the Amani High School in Kabul, Taliban-appointed officials attended a ceremony to mark the beginning of the school year.
Maulvi Syed Ahmad Shahid Khel, a Taliban official, said Islam considers religion, knowledge, and understanding "as a basic principle for the good life of human beings" and the holy Qur'an as the "first and greatest source of all knowledge."
