A group of youth in the eastern Nangarhar province called on the Islamic Emirate to allow Afghan women and girls to get an education, saying society requires educated women.

The youth who attended an annual exam for a private university in Jalalabad city asked the caretaker government to reopen secondary schools and universities for female students.

“We ask the prime minister and other officials of the Islamic Emirate to pave the way for girls’ education based on the Sharia law,” said Mohammad Daud, a student in Nangarhar.

“I ask the Islamic Emirate to provide the opportunity for girls to get an education as it is provided for us,” said Subhanallah, a participant in the exam.

Meanwhile, officials from Nangarhar universities said they hope that the Islamic Emirate will achieve all required conditions for reopening schools and universities for women and girls and will announce a specific date for it.

“Universities are struggling with economic challenges. The Ministry of Higher Education has pledged that universities will be reopened for women in the near future,” said Khair Mohammad Mohmand, head of a private university in Nangarhar.

This comes as public and private universities have remained closed for women over the past three months.

Officials of universities said the absence of female students has caused economic challenges for them.