Afghan girls turn to Islamic seminaries after ban on female education, Kabul, Afghanistan - 26 Sep 2023

Afghan girls attend classes at an Islamic seminary in Kabul, Afghanistan, 26 September 2023. Thousands of girls in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are enrolling in Islamic seminaries in search of education and empowerment despite the regime's ban on higher education for girls. The Taliban's tightening grip on women's rights and freedoms has left many girls and young women confined to their homes, with 80 percent of school-aged Afghan girls and young women out of school. Seeking education in seminaries is seen as a last resort for these girls, allowing them to continue studying. The number of official religious schools in Afghanistan has increased significantly under the Taliban's rule, reaching five times the number of schools in the past two decades. The Taliban have prioritized the development of these schools, with the establishment of an independent branch called the General Directorate of Jihadi Schools under the Ministry of Education. Currently, there are 6,835 official schools in the country where girls are studying in place of traditional schools and universities.