Taliban authorities closed girls’ schools above the sixth grade in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktia province.
Earlier this month, four girls’ schools above grade six in Gardez, the provincial capital, and one in the Samkani district, began operating without formal permission from the Taliban Education Ministry.
On Saturday (local time), all five schools were once again closed by the Taliban.
Dozens of tearful former students — some in head-to-toe burqas, others in school uniforms and white veils — protested in the streets of Gardez, according to social media posts.