Turkey called on the Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan to allow girls of all ages to attend school after the latter announced a decision to suspend education for female students after the sixth grade.
"We regret the continuation of the restriction on the participation of girls in secondary education in the new school term that started in Afghanistan today," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
"We call on the Interim Government of Afghanistan to allow girls of all ages to partake in education inclusively as soon as possible, first and foremost for the benefit of the Afghan people, and emphasize that we will continue to stand by the Afghan people in these difficult days."
Educational institutions in Afghanistan reopened Wednesday following a nearly seven-month break.
Girls 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.
The United Nations has expressed "grave concern" and "disappointment" over the closure of secondary 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, U.N. secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan and head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan.
The decision is bound to disrupt efforts by the Taliban to win recognition from potential international donors at a time when the country is mired in a worsening humanitarian crisis. The international community has urged Taliban leaders to reopen schools and give women their right to public space.
The reversal was so sudden that the Education Ministry was caught off guard on Wednesday, the start of the school year, as were schools in parts of the Afghan capital of Kabul and elsewhere in the country. Some girls in higher grades returned to schools, only to be told to go home.
Aid organizations said the move exacerbated the uncertainty surrounding Afghanistan's future as the Taliban leadership seems to struggle to get on the same page as it shifts from fighting to governing.
It also came as the leadership was convening in Kandahar amid reports of a possible Cabinet shuffle.
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 U.S.-backed Kabul administration, paving the way for the Taliban to enter the capital city.
After their takeover, the Taliban said they have asked all countries, primarily Turkey, to help the Afghan people and Afghanistan.
The Turkish government has taken a pragmatic approach to the recent events in Afghanistan. Underlining that new realities have emerged in the country, Ankara said it will move forward accordingly while keeping communication with all relevant actors open.
Turkey has been holding regular talks with the Taliban in Kabul, where it still has a diplomatic presence, about the conditions under which it could help operate the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport.
