Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, says the Taliban authorities are working to resolve the issue of girls’ education, which remains without a clear solution years after secondary schools were closed to girls.
Speaking at a press conference in Kabul on Sunday while presenting what he described as achievements in the education and higher education sectors, Mujahid said that one in every four people in Afghanistan is currently engaged in education.
He added: “Of course, there is one area that still has an interruption, and we are trying to address that as well.”
The Taliban spokesperson said that the total number of school students, university students, and religious seminary students in Afghanistan exceeds 10.3 million, describing girls’ exclusion from education beyond the sixth grade as an “interruption.”
His remarks come as Afghan girls remain barred from attending secondary and high schools, while universities also remain closed to women and girls.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to education beyond the sixth grade.
Mujahid’s latest comments come as girls’ education remains one of the main points of contention between the Taliban and the international community. However, the Taliban have yet to announce a specific timeline for reopening schools and universities to girls and women.
