The Taliban's Ministry of Education has said that will now allow girls from sixth grade and below onwards to continue their education. The Taliban's ministry of education issued a letter asking officials to open schools and educational centres for girls below sixth grade.

The move comes weeks after they ordered an indefinite ban on university education for women in Afghanistan, drawing condemnation from the international community, including Muslim-majority countries.

Notably, the Taliban had promised in August 2021 that their rule would be far more liberal than the last time they were in power. However, they have widely implemented their strict interpretation of Islamic law since seizing control of the country.

Girls have been banned from going to middle school and high school restricted women from most employment and ordered to wear head-to-toe clothing in public. Women were also banned from parks and gyms and prevented from travelling without a male relative.

These measures have led to many foreign governments, including the United States calling for a change in policies on women's education.

Following the ban, foreign ministers of the G7 group--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union also urged the Taliban to revoke it, warning that “gender persecution may amount to a crime against humanity.” The ministers had warned that “Taliban policies designed to erase women from public life will have consequences for how our countries engage with the Taliban.”

However, the Minister of higher education in the Taliban government, Nida Mohammad Nadim, had defended the ban on women's education stating that it was introduced to prevent the mixing of genders in universities and because he believes some subjects being taught violated the principles of Islam. Nadim said that foreigners should 'stop interfering' in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.

Source: Times Now