Taliban Ministry of Education Urges Families to Register Children for Schools

KABUL (Afghan Verified) — The Taliban Ministry of Education issued a statement on the fifth of Hamal urging families across Afghanistan to promptly register eligible children in schools to ensure a "bright future."

The ministry, quoting its minister, said achieving self-sufficiency and societal progress is impossible without education. Registration for the new academic year has begun nationwide.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that girls above the sixth grade have been barred from attending school, while universities and higher education institutions remain closed to women and girls.

Prior to the Taliban's return to power, the school year typically began on the third of Hamal. After canceling the Nowruz holiday, the Taliban shifted the start to the first of Hamal in recent years.

For the solar year 1405, however, the ministry has postponed the academic year start to the sixth of Hamal, according to a document it sent to provincial education departments.

The document does not specify a reason for the delay. Local sources attributed it to ongoing tensions and clashes with Pakistan, including Pakistani airstrikes and artillery attacks that displaced residents from border districts into district centers and school buildings.