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Teenage girls in Afghanistan were excluded from returning to school on Sep. 18, after the Taliban ordered only male students and teachers to return to secondary school and religious classrooms in a decree on Sep. 17, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

Girls were reportedly omitted from the statement made by Afghanistan's Ministry of Education.

The omission has been perceived as a de facto ban for girls to attend secondary schools.

Girls and women put under restrictive rule

Under the Taliban's new rule, many are reportedly worried about a regime reminiscent of the one in 1990, when the Taliban "severely" restricted rights of women and girls, according to the BBC.

However, the Taliban officials have reportedly said they were working to reach a decision on the education of women and girls.

The Taliban has also been signalling its softer side in a bid to change the world's impression of the regime.

Taliban officials say will allow girls to return to schools

Previously, the Higher Education Minister of the Taliban Abdul Baqi Haqqani said women and girls will be allowed to attend schools and universities, albeit in separate classrooms from men, France 24 reported.

Haqqani reportedly said the Taliban wanted to create a "reasonable and Islamic curriculum" that aligns with their "Islamic, national, and historical values", while also being able to compete with other countries.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that girls' schools will open soon, and the officials were working out the procedure and how to separate the classes and teachers of the girls' schools, Afghan state news agency Bakhtar News Agency reported.

According to Reuters, some Afghan primary schoolgirls were allowed to return to gender segregated classrooms on Sep. 18.

Morning and afternoon shifts

A teacher in a private school in Kabul reportedly said the school that once featured mixed-gender classes had made certain changes after the Taliban takeover.

According to the teacher, girls study in the morning and are taught by female teachers, while boys study in the afternoon and are taught by male teachers.

Girls worried about their future

Afghan schoolgirls who were interviewed by the BBC were pessimistic about their prospects of returning to school.

An Afghan schoolgirl, who had dreams of becoming a lawyer, expressed her worries about her future to the BBC, and said that  "everything looks dark".

Her father reportedly said that he did not want his daughter to be "illiterate" like his mother, who was bullied by his father for it.

A 16-year-old girl from Kabul reportedly expressed her scepticism towards the Taliban government's promises, saying that "they (Taliban) do not want women to become educated".

The girl added that her dreams of becoming a doctor has since "vanished", and said it was a "sorrowful day" for her.

UNICEF stresses that girls "must not be left out"

In a statement released on Sep. 17, UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) "welcomed" the decision to reopen schools in Afghanistan.

However, UNICEF's executive director Henrietta Fore said they were "deeply worried" that many girls will not be allowed to return to schools.

Fore further stressed that girls "must not be left behind", and added that it was "critical" for all girls to resume their education "without any further delays".

Mentioning the progress of education in Afghanistan in the past 20 years, Fore said the number of children in school grew from 1 million to 9.5 million, with the amount of schools tripling.

According to Fore, these "important improvements" must be respected and protected.

Fore added that UNICEF will continue to advocate for the equal opportunity to education for all boys and girls.

Ministry of Women's Affairs replaced by "virtue" authority

Meanwhile, the Taliban have replaced the Ministry of Women's Affairs with the "Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice", the Associated Press reported.

On Sep. 18, staff of the World Bank's US$100 million Women’s Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Program were reportedly escorted out of the building that once housed the Ministry of Women's Affairs.

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Top image via Getty Images/BBC