Taliban Closes Educational Centers for Blind Girls and Women in Eastern Afghanistan
Sources in eastern Afghanistan have informed Afghanistan International that the Taliban have closed a school for blind girls and women in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province. They also reported that a similar center for blind girls and women in Asadabad, the capital of Kunar province, was shut down, despite having only opened three months ago.
Deutsche Welle also covered the closure of these two centers in eastern Afghanistan (Nangarhar and Kunar), confirming that the closures were ordered by the Taliban. Fazal Ghani Bashardost, the head of the Blind Center in Nangarhar, told Deutsche Welle that around 45 blind girls have been deprived of education due to the closure of these centers. He mentioned that 20 of these girls, who are under eight years old, were still learning Braille and were hopeful that the Taliban would not shut down these educational centers.

Sources also reported that the Taliban shut down the educational center for blind girls and women in Asadabad, Kunar, and according to 8am newspaper, a similar center for blind girls in Balkh was also closed on January 16, 2022.

According to sources reported to news agencies, the Taliban have closed educational centers for blind girls and women in Nangarhar, Kunar, and reportedly Balkh provinces. These closures have denied dozens of blind girls—some as young as eight—the opportunity to learn Braille and access basic education. In addition to violating the right to education, sources report that many female students are now unable to retrieve their academic documents due to the requirement for a male family member to request them. This has resulted in lost scholarship opportunities and job offers, compounding the harm of these discriminatory policies.