Karzai: Afghans want girls’ schools to reopen

KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghans want their girls to return to secondary schools at the earliest possible, ex-president Hamid Karzai says.

In an interview with the BBC, the former president insisted: “There is no way that the country can live without our girls going to school.”

He added: “I am sure (secondary) schools for girls will reopen because that is what the Afghan people want.”

Despite impassioned calls from different quarters, girl students above grade six have been out of school for the past 120 days.

UN agencies, religious scholars, civil society activists and political leaders have repeatedly urged the Taliban government to reopen schools for girls.

Earlier in the week, UNICEF voiced its concerns over the continued closure of secondary and high schools for girls.

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