Swedish Committee for Afghanistan calls on Taliban to invest on education for development

Kabul: As Taliban continues restricting the basic rights of women in the country, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) demanded that the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to priorities investing in education as a crucial component for Afghanistan's development.

They also urged the Taliban to end the ban on female education and quickly re-open educational facilities at all levels, girls, boys, women and men.

According to the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, there is no justification- religion, tradition, or any other-for keeping girls out of school.

"There is no excuse for preventing girls from receiving an education, regardless of the justification--religion or custom included. The key to empowering both individuals and communities is education. Without education, a girl is more likely to marry young, experience domestic abuse, be impoverished, and have health problems," the report said, according to TOLO news.

Meanwhile, a student said that she is hopeful that schools would reopen soon.

Female students beyond grade six have repeatedly called on the Taliban to reopen the doors of the schools.

"I don't think that we girls will be deprived of schools forever. I think this is a temporary ban because how is it possible that girls and women will be kept ignorantly at home." TOLO news quoted the student as saying.

After the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government and the Taliban taking over Kabul, the country's females are the worst sufferers.

Time and again, many Islamic countries and organisations, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have condemned the ban on women's and girls' access to work and education as a violation of Islamic law.

Since August 15, 2021, the de facto authorities have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls' freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and public bath houses.