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5 Afghan girls' schools reopen after student demands

Five government secondary schools for girls have resumed classes in eastern Afghanistan after hundreds of students demanded they reopen, a provincial official said on Thursday (Sep 8).
Officially the Taliban have banned girls' secondary school education, but the order has been ignored in a few parts of Afghanistan away from the central power bases of Kabul and Kandahar.
Mohammad Wali Ahmadi, principal of Shashgar High School in Gardez, told AFP around 300 girls had returned to school since last week despite there being no change in official policy.
Groups of girls wearing headscarves and hijabs were seen heading to the school on Thursday morning.
"Since the girls came on their own, we haven't turned them back," Ahmadi said.
But, if the education ministry ordered them to close, he would do so "immediately", he added.

"So far we have not been told to send the girls back," Ahmadi said.
Khaliqyar Ahmadzai, the provincial head of information and culture, told AFP five schools had reopened, without offering an explanation.
"A few days ago female students approached the principals of five schools demanding that their schools be reopened," he said.
UN urges Taliban to follow other Muslim states on women's rights
"Since then, classes have resumed and these schools are now functioning."
Four of the schools are in Gardez, the capital of Paktia province, and the other in Samkani.
Officials at the education ministry in Kabul were not immediately available for comment.
Ahmadzai said it was likely that other schools in the province would follow suit.
"If students coordinate with principals, then this process of reopening schools will continue in the province," he said.
Taliban bans women from flights without a male guardian
Since seizing power in August last year, the Taliban have imposed harsh restrictions on girls and women to comply with their austere vision of Islam - effectively squeezing them out of public life.
In March they ordered all secondary schools for girls to be shut just hours after reopening them for the first time since returning to power.
Officials maintain the ban is just a "technical issue" and classes will resume once a curriculum based on Islamic rules is defined.
Afghan women defend right to drive as Taliban curb licenses
A few public schools did continue to operate in some parts of the country following pressure from local leaders and families.
They remain shut in most provinces, however, including the capital Kabul as well as Kandahar, the de facto power centre of the Taliban.
Source: cna
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During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
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The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
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