Taliban ‘support’ girls’ schools

Under the Taliban regime women were not allowed to be educated and were forced to wear the burqa

The Taliban have abandoned their opposition to schooling girls in Afghanistan, the country’s education minister has said.

Farooq Wardak told the UK’s Times Educational Supplement a “cultural change” meant the Taliban were “no more opposing girls’ education”.

Under the Taliban regime, women in Afghanistan were not allowed to work or get an education.

Mr Wardak made his comments while in London for the Education World Forum.

He told the TES: “What I am hearing at the very upper policy level of the Taliban is that they are no more opposing education and also girls’ education.

“I hope, Inshallah (God willing), soon there will be a peaceful negotiation, a meaningful negotiation with our own opposition and that will not compromise at all the basic human rights and basic principles which have been guiding us to provide quality and balanced education to our people,” he added.

Last October, Afghan President Hamid Karzai confirmed unofficial talks with Taliban leaders were under way in an attempt to end the bloody insurgency that has wracked the troubled country for more than nine years.

Mr Wardak’s words suggest the negotiations have gone beyond issues like the release of prisoners to touch on areas of government policy.

The education minister admitted historical opposition to schooling extended beyond the Taliban to the “deepest pockets” of Afghan society.

“That is the reason that in many provinces of Afghanistan we do not have either male or female teacher.

“During the Taliban era the percentage of girls of the one million students that we had was 0%. The percentage of female teachers was 0%.

“Today 38% of our students and 30% of our teachers are female,” he said.

Mr Wardak also criticised the UK government for not providing more money for schools in Afghanistan.

The UK’s Department for International Development spent £12m on schooling in Afghanistan in 2009-10.

A spokeswoman said the UK remained committed to improving education in Afghanistan.

“Last year, the British government financed the salaries of 169,000 teachers through the Afghanistan reconstruction trust fund.

“Through the national solidarity programme, we have helped Afghan communities to build schools in every province of the country,” she said.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.