In northern Afghanistan the Taliban allowed girls to study

In northern Afghanistan, the Taliban allowed girls to study

REPORT – Deaf to their movement’s decisions, local officials have not postponed the start of the school year for teenage girls.

Jowzjan and Balkh Provinces (Northern Afghanistan)

It’s after noon in Mardyan, northern Afghanistan, and dozens of high school girls are flocking to a tall blue building with bullet holes riddled in the walls. Posters in the hallway warn of duds. But the girls are overjoyed: the return of the Taliban to power and the end of the fighting have made it possible to invest in school again. More teenage girls are now able to go to high school and college. Here we are not afraid of the Taliban, they have been there for years and are often part of students’ families. It’s like the world is upside down. While in the majority of the country adolescent girls are still out of school, some have never stopped. Out of sight, the Taliban allowed girls to study in provinces like Balkh or Jowzjan, where Mardyan is located.

The principal explains that at the age of 24 she returned four years ago to run the school…

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