The European Union special envoy for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, said that the issue of girls’ schools was discussed with authorities, but he did not hear any commitment about opening classes for the new school year.

Niklasson who is on a visit to Afghanistan, has met with several senior officials of the Islamic Emirate.

In a meeting with the political deputy of the prime minister, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Niklasson pledged to provide educational facilities for the citizens.

“Secondary schools remain closed for girls in most parts of the country since 18 months, and in December, the de facto authorities announced that also universities would be closed for women. I raised these issues in several of my meetings with acting ministers and while many confirmed the rights of girls and women to study, I did not hear any firm commitment that schools were going to open at the beginning of the school year after Nawroz, despite very clear questions from our side,” Niklasson told a press conference in Kabul on Sunday.

The deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Bilal Karimi, said that the educational structure would be formed based on Islamic laws.

“The internal issues of Afghanistan belongs to the people of Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan organize their issues based on their notions and Islamic values. Either it is politics or economy,” he said.

Meanwhile, in his meeting with Niklasson, the political deputy of the Prime Minister said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to the rights of all citizens including the education of girls.

“The Afghans expect that the ground for education should be facilitated soon because with the passing of each minute, the Afghans are going backward and this is not tolerable, neither for the world, nor for the Afghans,” said Qazi Hassan Haqyar, a political analyst.

This comes as the female students called on the Islamic Emirate to reopen their schools.

“We call on the leaders of the government to reopen the doors of the schools for the females in 1402,” a student said.

"It has been around two years that we have been deprived of education and we call on the Islamic Emirate to immediately reopen the doors of our schools,” a student said.

It has been more than one and a half years since the schools for female students in grade 7-12 have remained closed.

The new educational year is due to begin within the next 20-days, but there has yet to be a final decision about the girls’ schools.