Taliban Quit Nearly 500 Girls' Kindergarten Teachers

Afghan woman illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Davric)

JAKARTA - The Taliban have reportedly banned nearly 500 women from working as kindergarten teachers, pushing women out of public life in Afghanistan.

The decree issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs covers 469 kindergarten teachers as well as managers and staff, according to the Farsi edition of the Independent report.

In a footage shared by activists and former members of Afghanistan's Parliament on Thursday, women can be seen crying after the decision.

"Every tear that is shed represents a family that has lost a stable income, a woman has lost her independence, a child has lost an educator," said former politician Mariam Solaimankhil, citing The National News, July 14.

"This is more than unfair, this is absurd," he said.

It is one of several measures that have effectively confined women, including more than a million secondary school-age girls, to the home for nearly two years.

This was also criticized by the father of education activist Malala Yousafzai, who said the Taliban "should allow Afghan teachers to teach and Afghan girls to study".

"While the world remains silent, the Taliban are moving towards a complete normalization of the gender apartheid system with their inhumane and anti-women policies," explained Ziauddin Yousafzai.

The Taliban recently announced a ban on women's beauty salons, one of the few public places still open to them.

The decision left about 60.000 women out of work, sources told The National at the time.

Previously, girls over the age of 12 were no longer allowed to attend school or college, while all women were prohibited from working for the government.

In December, women were banned from working for NGOs, prompting the United Nations to say they would reconsider their presence in the country.