Afghan girls protests on closure of schools in eastern city

• Dozens of girls protest after Taliban closes secondary schools in Paktia province.
• Days after classes resumed, they were told to return home by the Taliban.
• The girls marched through Gardez wearing their school uniforms to protest the closure.

Dozens of girls protested on Saturday in an eastern Afghan city after Taliban authorities closed their secondary schools just days after classes resumed, according to an activist and residents.

Five government secondary schools in the eastern province of Paktia resumed classes last week after hundreds of girls and tribal leaders demanded that they do so.

However, when students in the provincial capital Gardez went to class on Saturday, they were told to return home, according to a women’s rights activist and residents.

“We held a protest this morning when they did not allow the girls to enter schools,” said activist Yasmin, who organised the rally.

The girls marched through Gardez wearing their school uniforms — a white headscarf and a black shalwar kameez — to protest the closure.

Four of the reopened schools are in Gardez, while one is in Samkani.

The Taliban closed all girls’ secondary schools in March, just hours after reopening them for the first time under their rule since retaking power in August last year. They have effectively driven women from public life.

Images from social media Residents and shopkeepers watched as the girls marched through the city centre on Saturday.

“The Taliban forbade anyone from filming the protest. They actually broke some protesters’ cellphones “Yasmin told AFP over the phone.

Two city residents also confirmed the protest, which journalists were not permitted to cover.

“The students protested peacefully, but the rally was quickly dispersed by security forces,” a Gardez resident who did not want to be identified told AFP.

Officials maintain that the ban is merely a “technical issue,” and that classes will resume once an Islamic-based curriculum is defined.

Following pressure from local leaders and families, a few public schools remain open in various parts of the country.

They remain closed in most provinces, including the capital Kabul and Kandahar, the Taliban’s de facto power centre.

According to UNICEF, approximately three million Afghan girls are currently barred from pursuing secondary education.

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