MONITORING (SW) – The UN Security Council members have urged the Islamic Emirate authorities in Afghanistan not to hinder the girls’ education in the country.
The views were expressed in informal comments to the media by Ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates (at her National Capacity), Norway, Albania, France, Gabon, Ireland, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They demanded all girls in Afghanistan should be able to get to school.
“This week, more than a million Afghan girls were getting ready to finally be able to return to school. Their hopes were dashed at the last minute at the school gates, when they learned their right to an education will continue to be denied through an arbitrary decision”, read the statement.
It further said that the decision is a reversal of the commitments the Taliban themselves have made in recent weeks or months as part of the ongoing engagement with the international community.
“It is a profoundly disturbing. Education is a universal right for children. That includes the girls of Afghanistan”, it said.
After months of waiting for all schools to reopen to girls across the country, the Ministry of Education of the Islamic Emirate announced on Thursday that the gates of schools for female students above the sixth grade will remain closed until further notice.
Former President Hamid Karzai wrote on Twitter that the Islamic Emirate should not allow the plan of foreigners who want Afghanistan to be always in need and subordinate to others.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has also expressed regret over the Islamic Emirate’s announcement banning girls from returning to school.
The Amnesty International has expressed concern over the Ministry of Education’s decision, saying that the international community must take immediate action to provide education for girls in Afghanistan.
“I had one hope for today: that Afghan girls walking to school would not be sent back home. But the Taliban did not keep their promise. They will keep finding excuses to stop girls from learning – because they are afraid of educated girls and empowered women. #LetAfghanGirlsLearn”, tweeted the Noble laureate Malala Yosufzai.
The Islamic Emirate authorities have cited consultations for Sharia-compliant dress code for girls as the reason behind not reopening their schools across the country.
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