Afghan women, girls deserve better

Banned: An Afghan schoolgirl in an empty classroom in Kabul on Dec 22. Last week, the Taliban ordered women to stop attending all classes and barred them from most fields of employment as well as from parks and gyms. — AP

THE decision of Afghanistan’s government to exclude young women and girls from schools and institutions of higher learning is shameful and hugely disappointing.

Women and girls in the country are now being denied the basic human right to education. Since the ban was imposed by the Taliban government last week, between 850,000 and 1.1 million girls have had to stop attending classes.