ISTANBUL

Educational institutions reopened in Afghanistan on Wednesday after a gap of nearly seven months.

Officials of the Taliban-led interim government held a ceremony to mark the new academic calendar.

At a function in Amani High School in Kabul, Syed Ahmad Shahid Khel, a Taliban official, said Islam considers knowledge, and understanding "as basic principle for the good life of human beings" and the Quran as the "first and greatest source of all knowledge."

Girls also attended classes, but those above the sixth grade were later asked to stay home. Authorities said girls' high schools will remain closed until a plan was drawn up "in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture," according to the state-run Bakhtar News Agency.

As schools re-open after a seven-month break, boys from all grades will attend class, while only girls in primary school will be allowed due to a temporary ban by the Taliban-led interim government https://t.co/4KKWAgLesy pic.twitter.com/TDLFbyFuBs

— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) March 23, 2022

UN ‘disappointed’

The UN has expressed "grave concern" and "disappointment" over the closure of schools for female students.

“Education is a fundamental human right, and is essential for Afghanistan to pull itself out of economic crisis and create a strong social fabric,” said Deborah Lyons, UN secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN mission in Afghanistan.

In a letter to Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi, Lyons said Taliban’s decision to ask female students stay home “erodes confidence.”

She urged the Taliban leadership to ensure access to education for all girls and boys.

The Taliban returned to power after 20 years of war with foreign forces that left Afghanistan last August.

The withdrawal resulted in a collapse of the US-backed Kabul administration, paving the way for the Taliban to enter the modern-day capital city.

*With contribution by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara