KABUL—Authorities marked five years without secondary education for girls by declaring female potential “a hazardous material best left undisturbed.” Officials said the danger begins with algebra and can spread rapidly to questions.
A new safety notice advises families to report girls who read medicine labels, correct their brothers’ spelling, or ask why a rule exists. “These are early symptoms of competence,” one official said, standing beneath a sign containing three spelling mistakes.
The ministry also reassured the public that boys’ education remains safe because employment will continue to depend on cousins. Asked when girls could return to class, the official said the government was awaiting conditions in which knowledge no longer produces understanding.