KABUL, Afghanistan — As the new academic year begins in Afghanistan, girls and young women once again face closed classroom doors. With the start of the school year 1404, students and educators are renewing calls for the Taliban to lift restrictions that have barred girls above the sixth grade from attending school.
The Taliban Ministry of Education announced the beginning of classes on Thursday, March 20, but made no mention of re-opening schools for girls beyond primary education. The silence has sparked fresh concern among students and activists who say the ban is inflicting lasting damage on the country’s education system and future workforce.
“I dream of becoming a doctor,” said Setayesh, a 13-year-old girl in Kabul who has not attended school since the Taliban’s decree in 2021. “These restrictions mean losing every opportunity in life.”
It has been more than 1,270 days since girls were barred from attending secondary schools in Afghanistan, a decision that has triggered widespread condemnation both within the country and abroad.
At an official ceremony marking the start of the academic year in Kabul, the Taliban’s education minister, Habibullah Agha, reiterated the group’s position. “We are continuing to revise the curriculum,” he said, “and content that contradicts Islamic values or Afghan culture will be removed.”
That curriculum overhaul has coincided with sweeping restrictions on women and girls — from banning them in secondary schools and universities to limiting their participation in public life and even in health care institutions.
Nargis, a medical student in Kabul, said she has twice been forced to halt her studies: once when universities were shut to women, and again when women were prohibited from working in medical institutes.
“First they closed the classrooms,” she said. “Then they closed the hospitals. There’s nowhere left for us to learn.”
The policy has drawn criticism from Afghan political figures, including former President Hamid Karzai, former peace council chief Abdullah Abdullah, and former government adviser Ziaul Haq Amarkhil. In separate statements, they expressed concern over what they described as a generational betrayal, warning that the continued ban has left many girls “deeply disheartened.”
International organizations and human rights groups have also condemned the restrictions, calling them a violation of basic human rights and a threat to the country’s long-term stability.
Despite the pressure, the Taliban have given no indication of reversing course. With another school year underway — and no clear path forward — girls like Setayesh can only wait, and hope.
