Taliban Leader Orders Closure of Religious Schools for Girls

Kokcha News Agency – In a recent meeting held in Kandahar, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has ordered the closure of religious schools for girls. The decision, which was reportedly made during a contentious session, instructs the Taliban’s Ministries of Education and Higher Education to gradually stop enrolling girls in religious schools.

According to reports from Al Arabiya, Akhundzada expressed concerns that these religious schools were teaching modern subjects such as mathematics, natural sciences, and languages, which he believes has led to the schools losing their religious character. This move comes as part of the Taliban’s broader restrictions on education for girls and women in Afghanistan.

The atmosphere during the meeting was reportedly tense, with several Taliban members openly criticizing the leader’s decision. This latest order follows the Taliban’s previous decision four years ago to close schools and universities to girls above the sixth grade and to bar women from working.