The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan claimed that 75% of girl students have returned to class in schools across the country. According to a report by Dawn, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi made the remarks while responding to a question about the situation of girls’ education in Afghanistan at the Centre for Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa (CAMEA) in Pakistan’s Islamabad on Friday. 

The Taliban closed schools for both boys and girls after seizing control of the war-torn country in August of this year. The Taliban began allowing boys in grades 6 through 12 and male teachers to attend school on September 18.

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Some schools for girls in grades upto 6 reopened, and women were also permitted to attend universities. However, girls’ high schools are closed, and the Islamic emirate claimed in September that all girls would be allowed to resume classes as soon as possible. 

The Taliban has come under fire from the international community for restricting girls’ access to education. According to the Dawn report, foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also said on Friday that it was the global community’s duplicity to focus on women’s education rather than teacher salaries because salary disbursement was becoming difficult due to Afghanistan’s assets being frozen by the West.

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According to Muttaqi, up to 500,000 Afghan civil servants are being paid, and no one has been fired because of political differences. The report indicated that the acting foreign minister also claimed that no women had been fired. 

However, according to several media reports, women are still not allowed to work, and a number of them have protested to demand their rights to employment and education.

On the other hand, in Afghanistan, the majority of girl students who rely on the public education system also remain at home.

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“Amendments will be made based on our new laws. Islamic scholars will make the decisions,” Abdul Hakeim, the chief of staff for the minister of education, said in November.

“We want an Islamic perspective, and this means separate classes and transport. Once this is sorted out, girls can continue education for a lifetime,” Hakeim added.