School Bells Ring in Afghanistan, Yet Girls Remain Locked Out for 5th Consecutive Year

DID Press: As Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education under the Taliban rang the bell to mark the start of the 2026 academic year on Thursday (March 26), girls’ schools above sixth grade remained closed for the fifth consecutive year. Taliban officials inaugurated the new school year without acknowledging the educational deprivation faced by millions of girls.

The ceremony included senior Taliban figures, such as the administrative deputy to the prime minister and officials from the Ministries of Education and Information & Culture, though the Education Minister was absent.

Nooralhaq Anwar, head of the Taliban Government Affairs Office, claimed that the previous government’s curriculum “was imported from abroad” and failed to meet the country’s needs. He added that work on a new curriculum continues—one aligned with the Taliban’s strict religious interpretation, raising widespread concern over extremism and the future of Afghanistan’s youth.

While protests demanding the reopening of girls’ schools and universities continue, the Taliban have instead expanded religious schools. Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said more than 20,000 religious schools now operate under the Ministry of Education, serving about 2.5 million students receiving religious instruction.

Former President Hamid Karzai has reiterated calls to reopen schools and universities for girls and create employment opportunities for women, warning that continued restrictions could have irreversible consequences for Afghanistan’s future.

UNICEF has also urged the Taliban to reopen schools and universities to girls as the new academic year begins.