Many Afghans are following news of a reversal in girls’ school openings in eastern Paktia province for clues on whether the Taliban will loosen restrictions on girls’ education after reneging on a pledge to reopen high schools in March.
Some girls’ secondary schools in what is considered a conservative part of the country quietly reopened in recent weeks, and local officials last week acknowledged classes had resumed. News spread quickly through local news reports and social media.
But Taliban authorities said there had been no formal approval for such a move. According to three Taliban sources and some locals, the schools were shut again.
Local media broadcast footage of girls in Paktia protesting the move, a rare sign of dissent in a country where women’s access to public life has been severely curtailed since the hardline Islamist group returned to power over a year ago.
