Barely reopened, secondary schools for girls in an eastern province of Afghanistan were closed, angering dozens of students who demonstrated on Saturday to demand the Taliban lift the ban, according to several witnesses.

After coming to power in August 2021, the Taliban effectively banned secondary education, both middle and high school, for girls.

Four of these establishments were located in the capital of Patkia province, and one in the district of Samkani.

Last week, five public secondary schools for girls in this province had resumed classes, after hundreds of female students and tribal leaders demanded they reopen.

But on Saturday morning, when the students from the schools in Garde went to class, they were asked to go home, women's rights activist Yasmin and residents told AFP.

Three million girls deprived of education

“When they didn't allow the girls to enter the schools, we organized a demonstration,” said Yasmin, reached by telephone.

Journalists were not allowed to cover the protest.

Footage posted to social media shows young girls, some wearing full-body burkas, marching through downtown Garde as residents and shopkeepers look on.

"They (the Taliban) broke the mobile phones of some protesters", to limit the dissemination of images, continued the women's rights activist.

A resident of Garde, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, confirmed that the students "started to protest" when they saw "the doors of their school closed".

“They protested peacefully, but the gathering was quickly dispersed by security forces,” he added.

According to Unicef, about three million girls are currently denied access to secondary education.

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