Many girls gather at Ghazni home to continue their studies

GHAZNI (Pajhwok): Many girls gather at a house daily in southern Ghazni province and study as the Islamic Emirate has been not allowing girls education above sixth grade in some provinces since last 10 months.

The house where girls come together and study is in Pakhtunabad area of Ghazni City, the provincial capital. The house has no desks, chairs or other facilities like a school, but the girls sit on the floor and a teacher - who is also a 12th grader - teaches them for free.

Shabnam is one of the girls who goes to the house every day to study with her peers. She told Pajhwok Afghan News when the schools were open, she studied in eighth class, but her studies remained incomplete after girls schools  above sixth grade were closed about 10 months ago.

After a long wait to see the girls schools reopen which did not happen, she decided to join other girls and continue their study at the house.

She was hopeful that the girls schools would be reopened one day and they would be able to resume their studies with confidence.

"The government's decision to close girls' schools beyond the sixth grade has upset tens of thousands of girls in the country, like me, and we hope that the caretaker government will reconsider its decision and give us our right that Islam has given to us.”

Afsana is another girl who studies in class tenth and has joined other girls to continue their study at the house. “"We hope to continue our education in its current form  until restrictions imposed by the government are lifted  schools are reopened and we can continue our education as before," she told Pajhwok Afghan News.

She said previously girls faced restrictions from families and community to pursue education, an issue that has been resolved to some extent, and now the new government has imposed curbs on their education.  “We live in a Muslim country, we all are Muslims but the rights God has given us are denied.”

Breshna, who is a 12th grader herself and cannot go to school like these girls, now teaches other girls at her home.

She said since last ten months, girls schools were closed and girls were deprived of education.  She said an entire year of the girls was wasted and those responsible would have to answer to God.

Iin order not to waste any more time, she decided with other girls to continue their education to the best of their ability until the government decides to open girls' schools above the sixth grade. .

She also called on the government to listen to the voices of its daughters and open schools for them.

Habibullah Mujahid, acting director of information and culture in Ghazni, told Pajhwok Afghan News the government was working on a mechanism to allow girls to go to school.

But he did not say when the mechanism would be ready or when girls would be allowed to continue their education beyond the sixth grade.

After the regime change in Afghanistan, the problem of girls' education beyond the sixth grade has raised concerns at home and abroad.

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