Taliban Official Says Afghan Girls Of All Ages Permitted To Study In Religious Schools

Afghan girls of all ages are permitted to study in religious schools, which are traditionally boys-only, a Taliban official said in messages to the Associated Press. Mansor Ahmad, a spokesman for the Taliban's Education Ministry, told AP on December 21 that there are no age restrictions for girls at government-controlled madrasahs. The only requirement is that girls must be in a madrasah class appropriate to their age. UN special envoy Roza Otunbaeva told the Security Council on December 20 that the United Nations was receiving “more and more anecdotal evidence” that girls could study at the Islamic schools.