Kabul [Afghanistan], December 8 : Afghanistan's Taliban-appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai has said the main reason people are distanced from the Taliban is the continued ban on women's education, TOLO News reported.
TOLO News is an Afghan news channel broadcasting from Kabul.
The Taliban appointed Deputy Foreign Minister while speaking at a graduation ceremony, stressed the importance of reopening schools for girl students beyond grade 6 and said a society without knowledge is "dark".
The ceremony was held by the Taliban's Ministry of Borders and Tribal Affairs to mark the graduation of students who have studied in educational entities under the ministry.
Stanikzai said: "This is everyone's right. This is the natural right which God and the prophet has given them, how can someone take this right from them? If anyone violates this right, this is an oppression against the Afghans and the people of this country. Try to reopen the doors of the educational institutions for everyone. Today, our only problem with the neighbors and the world is caused by the issue of education. If the nation is getting distant from us and upset with us, that is due to the education issue."
The Taliban-appointed acting Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, Noorullah Noori, said that the youth living in far areas that lack access to education, have been enrolled in schools. He also stressed that there is no distance between religious and modern education.
"The issue of distance is not true. There is no distance. The education that is being taught under Islamic Emirate's rule, I can tell you that there has been no such system before," Noori said, according to TOLO News.
Girl students above grade six have been deprived of their education since the Taliban came to power.
Taliban-appointed Acting Minister of Education Habibullah Agha recently criticised the poor quality of education in the country's religious schools, TOLO News reported.
Habibullah Agha asked the Taliban and religious scholars to pay serious attention to raising the quality of education.
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