Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers decided against opening schools to girls above the sixth grade, reneging on a previous promise and opting to appease their hardline base at the expense of further alienating the international community.
The unexpected decision, confirmed by a Taliban official Wednesday, came at the start of the new school year in Afghanistan. It is bound to disrupt Taliban efforts to win recognition from potential international donors, at a time when the country is mired in a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The international community has been urging Taliban leaders to open schools and give women their right to public space. A statement by the ministry earlier in the week urged ‘all students’ to come to school.
The decision to postpone a return of girls going to school in higher levels appeared to be a concession to the rural and deeply tribal backbone of the hardline Taliban movement, that in many parts of the countryside are reluctant to send their daughters to school.
The decision to cancel the return of girls to school came late in the night on Tuesday, Waheedullah Hashmi, external relations and donor representative with the Taliban-led administration, told The Associated Press.
‘It was late last night that we received word from our leadership that schools will stay closed for girls,’ said Hashmi. ‘We don’t say they will be closed forever.’ The surprise decision also comes as the movement’s leadership has been summoned to southern Kandahar by the reclusive Taliban leader, Haibatullah Akhunzada, amid reports of a Cabinet shakeup, according to an Afghan leader, who is also a member of the leadership council.
He spoke on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorised to speak to the media. He said it is possible some of the senior interim Cabinet positions could be changed.
There have been persistent reports since the Taliban swept to power in August of differences among the senior leadership, with the more hardline among the movement at odds with the pragmatists among them.
The pragmatists reportedly want to see a greater engagement with the world and while staying true to their Islamic beliefs be less harsh than when they last ruled Afghanistan, banning women from work and girls from schools.
Television is allowed in Afghanistan today, unlike in the past and women are not required to wear the all encompassing burqa but must wear the traditional hijab, covering their heads. Women have also returned to work in the health and education ministry and at Kabul International Airport at passport control and custom.
The Taliban were ousted in 2001 by a US-led coalition for harboring al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and returned to power after America’s chaotic departure last August.