Women Foreign Ministers slam ban on girls in Afghanistan's secondary classes

Female Foreign Ministers from over a dozen countries including Australia, UK and Norway on Friday expressed their deep disappointment and concern over the girls being barred access to secondary schools in Afghanistan.

As the new school year begins in Afghanistan, the Taliban has announced that the boys can continue their education normally. However, the doors of the schools have been closed to girls beyond the sixth grade.

The intentional community has condemned this ban saying, this move will have an inevitable impact on the Taliban's prospects of gaining political support and legitimacy either at home or abroad.

"As women and as foreign ministers, we are deeply disappointed and concerned that girls in Afghanistan are being denied access to secondary schools this spring. The Taliban's decision to suspend secondary classes until further notice is particularly disturbing as we repeatedly heard their commitments to open all schools for all children," said a joint statement of Female Foreign Ministers on the occasion of the re-opening of schools in Afghanistan.

"We urge the Taliban to live up to their commitments to the Afghan people and to adhere to the international conventions that Afghanistan has subscribed to. We call upon the Taliban to reverse their recent decision and to grant equal access to all levels of education, in all provinces of the country. Practical difficulties in implementing a non-discriminatory educational policy must be overcome," the statement added.

The ministers said that they will watch closely whether the Taliban deliver on their assurances. "We will measure them by their actions, not by their words."

"Access to education is a human right to which every woman and every girl is entitled. Individually, girls' education and women's empowerment lead to a better life, help to alleviate economic challenges for their families, and are the basis for exercising social rights and political representation," they added.

( With inputs from ANI )

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