Afghanistan's Academic Year Begins One Week Late, Excluding Girls Above Sixth Grade
KABUL (Afghan Verified) -- The new academic year in Afghanistan started on Saturday, March 28, 2026, with a one-week delay. The Taliban allowed only boys and girls below the sixth grade to attend schools, continuing the exclusion of girls above the sixth grade for the fifth consecutive year.
Schools in central and cold provinces reopened without female students above the sixth grade. This partial resumption highlights ongoing restrictions on female education imposed since the Taliban's return to power.
Male students criticized the Taliban's restrictions on clothing and changes to the curriculum, describing them as burdensome impositions on their education.
Girls above the sixth grade who are deprived of schooling decried the policy as a violation of their rights. They called for the full reopening of schools and urged international accountability to address the restrictions.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports that more than 2.2 million girls are out of school in Afghanistan.
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