UN in talks with Taliban over handover of education programmes, classes

The UN children's agency has said it is holding discussions with the Taliban over "timelines and practicalities" for a possible required handover of its education programmes and that classes would continue in the meantime, TOLO News reported.

TOLO News is an Afghan news channel broadcasting from Kabul.

Aid officials said that the Taliban had signalled international organisations could no longer be involved in education projects, in a move criticised by the UN but not yet confirmed by Taliban authorities.

As per UNICEF, it had received assurances from the Taliban's Education Ministry that its community-based classes, which educate 500,000 students, would continue while they discussed the matter.

UNICEF's Afghanistan spokesperson, Samantha Mort, said: "As the lead agency for the education cluster in Afghanistan, UNICEF is engaged in constructive discussions with the de facto Ministry of Education and appreciates the commitment from the de facto minister to keep all ... classes continuing while discussions take place about timelines and practicalities."

"In order to minimize disruption to children's learning, it is imperative that any handover to national NGOs is done strategically and includes comprehensive assessment and capacity building," she said.

A Taliban spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Taliban's Ministry of Education has not publicly confirmed the policy.

Taliban, which took power in 2021, closed most secondary schools to girls, stopped female students from attending universities and stopped many Afghan women from working for aid groups and the United Nations.

International organisations have been heavily involved in education projects, and UNICEF made an agreement with the Taliban to run community classes before they took over the country, as per TOLO News.

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, on Thursday, said that nearly 16 million children in Afghanistan need urgent humanitarian aid, warning of a "children's crisis," Khaama Press reported.

"In a country with almost 16 million children in need of protection and humanitarian assistance, in a country in which way too many kids are burdened with responsibilities way beyond their age, in a country where the children's rights are eroded every day, having a space like this offers the kids a respite, a safe and secure space where the kids can rest, can relax, can play and can make friends," UNICEF representative in Afghanistan, Fran Equiza said.