Afghan women protest holding exams for girls after missed school year
Afghanistan was seized by the Taliban in August 2021 after a hasty US withdrawal. When in power, the Taliban prohibited female students in high school from attending classes and imposed other restrictions on them.
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Afghan girls (Reuters)
The Taliban decided to hold high school graduation exams for girls, even though they have been prohibited from attending classes since last year. Simultaneously, a group of Afghan women protested the Taliban's decision.
Afghanistan was seized by the Taliban in August 2021 after a hasty US withdrawal. When in power, the Taliban prohibited female students in high school from attending classes and imposed other restrictions on them.
The Taliban decided to permit girls to sit for their final exams at the end of November 2022.
On Tuesday night, a number of Afghan women provided pictures to local media showing them holding signs in opposition to the Taliban's decision.
The protesters underlined the importance of education for girls but added that the government's strategy "does not erase the anguish of illiteracy and its detrimental effects on society," and that awarding diplomas after a student has missed a school year is "an insult to society."
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