The sidewalks outside bakeries in the Afghan capital, Kabul, are packed with desperate mothers and children hoping for a bite to eat.
If that occurs, hundreds of thousands of children will join the already estimated 3 million school-aged girls who are unable to receive an education. What's Next: There are fears that the closure of foreign-funded education centers in southern Afghanistan, the birthplace and political base of the Taliban, could be extended nationwide. The Taliban has imposed restrictions on the UN and other international organizations, including banning them from employing Afghan women. The Taliban’s move appears to be the latest salvo in its standoff with foreign NGOs. "This is not good news for us because most classes were in areas where children have no access to education," he said. Munir Ahmad, a resident of Kandahar, told Radio Azadi that he is "very concerned" about the Taliban’s decision. The militant group has also tried to root out all forms of secular education and converted scores of secular schools, universities, and training centers into madrasahs, or Islamic seminaries. Why It's Important: The decision is the latest blow to education in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has banned girls above the sixth grade from attending school and women from studying in universities. He said the decision was made after “complaints from locals,” without elaborating. Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil, a spokesman for the Kandahar educational department, told Radio Azadi that the activities of the education centers had been suspended until further notice. The hundreds of education centers, mostly funded by UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency, and Save The Children, provided literacy classes to tens of thousands of girls and boys in remote areas that lack government schools. The Taliban has closed all education centers in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand that were funded by foreign NGOs. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead. I'm Mustafa Sarwar, a senior news editor at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Welcome back to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan.
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