Taliban allowing some schools for girls to reopen

Girls can attend separate schools provided students and teachers wear the hijab, and the curriculum and education environment are in keeping with religious and cultural values, Taliban commanders have told elders in southern Afghanistan. Local people in Marof, Daman and Panjwaye districts said they had received similar assurances from the insurgents.

The Taliban’s self-proclaimed government, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has not publicly confirmed its policy shift. Girls were banned from education and women were prohibited from outdoor activities during Taliban rule in 1996-2001. “If this is true, it’s a major step forward and we truly welcome it,” Radhika Coomaraswamy, special representative of the UN Secretary-General for children and armed conflict, told IRIN. Read the full report at IRIN News online.