Read on the application
Passing a class after one year of study is usually a cause of joy for students, but the situation is different in Afghanistan where female students living under the repressive regime of the Taliban cannot study further after passing the sixth standard. Bahara Rustam (13) from Afghanistan went to school for the last time on December 11 at Bibi Razia School in Kabul. He knows that he will not be given the opportunity to study further. He would not be able to enter the classroom again under the Taliban regime. A month after US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces withdrew from Afghanistan in September 2021 after two decades of war, the Taliban announced that girls would be banned from studying beyond the sixth grade.
Repressive Taliban measures towards women have been widely criticized internationally, and the Taliban have been warned that such restrictions would make it nearly impossible for them to gain global recognition as the country’s legitimate rulers. Yet the Taliban continue to impose restrictions on women. UN special envoy Roza Otunbayeva expressed concern last week that a generation of Afghan girls is falling behind every day. An Afghan education ministry official said last week that Afghan girls of all ages would be allowed to study in madrassas. Traditionally, only boys study in these madrasas. Otunbayeva said it was not clear whether modern subjects would be taught in these madrassas. “Grading in sixth grade meant we would study in seventh grade, but all our classmates cried and we were very disappointed,” Bahara said.
Setayesh Sahibzada, a 13-year-old living in Kabul, is worried about her future and saddened by not being able to go to school to pursue her dreams. “I cannot stand on my feet,” said Sahibzada. I wanted to be a teacher but now I can’t study, can’t go to school.” Analyst Muhammad Salim Pagir warned that depriving women and girls of education would be disastrous for Afghanistan. “Uneducated people can never be free and prosperous,” he said. The Taliban have banned women from many public places and most jobs, confining them to their homes.