Taliban Says Reopening Schools For Girls Their Responsibility, UN Offers Cash Aid To Afghanistan

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has said that reopening schools for girls across the country was their responsibility and not due to world pressure.

The remarks were made by Acting Minister Maulaee Noorullah Muneer during his meeting with Deborah Lyons, the UN General-Secretary`s special representative to Afghanistan, here on Thursday, Khaama Press reported.

Muneer said that getting an education is the right of girls and the Taliban government has the responsibility to provide it.

Taliban officials have announced that higher schools for girls and public universities for boys and girls will be reopened in the next educational year that begins in March.

At least 150 public universities for boys and girls and all public higher schools for girls have remained closed since the country`s takeover by the Taliban in August 2021.

Earlier this month, the Taliban`s Minister of Higher Education Abdul Baqi Haqqani had announced that universities across the country for both male and female students will reopening, but classes will be separate for boys and girls.

He however, did not mention a date of the reopening.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has provided USD 32 million humanitarian aid in cash to Afghanistan on Thursday which was delivered to Afghanistan International Bank (AIB), local media reported.

Central Bank of Afghanistan-Da Afghanistan Bank- said that UN aid to Afghanistan is going on and they received USD 32 million in cash, Khaama Press reported. Da Afghanistan Bank in a statement said that the amount of money was delivered to Afghanistan International Bank (AIB).

According to the statement, they welcome all those humanitarian aids efforts that bring positive changes in the lives of people in most need. The amount of money is part of the process based on which the UN provides to Afghanistan USD 20 million weekly until March 2022.

The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crisis. A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban, have plunged a country already suffering from high poverty levels into a full-blown economic crisis.

The international community, from governments to non-governmental organizations, has been providing various assistance to the Afghan people.