Yesterday marked one year since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and 332 days since they banned education for the vast majority of secondary school girls across the country, first citing a “technical issue” related to uniforms and this last week, citing “religious issues” and “cultural sensitivities.” Many of the country’s religious scholars say it’s a political decision rather than an Islamic one. It's unclear if and when high school girls will be allowed to go back again. Today, their younger sisters go to class without them. After 40 years of war, some girls are receiving their first education with schools opening in areas where they never existed before. In some, the Taliban’s daughters are receiving their first education. 15 year old girls are in first grade, learning the alphabet alongside 5 year olds. A raft of cultural and logistical obstacles had stopped the students' older sisters and mothers from attending school before. Now, these girls teach their mothers what they have learnt in their classes. As always, no two situations are the same in Afghanistan. They differ from province to province and district to district. But one thing is clear, these girls are glad to be here. After grade 6, these girls’ futures will be in the hands of Afghanistan’s new government, and it will be infinitely more difficult without the tools they need to find their paths forward. There remains no sensical justification for the ban on their older sisters' education. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world to ban girls from receiving an education. #Kunar #Afghanistan Photo & words by Lynzy Billing @lynzybilling in July 2022. #everydaykunar #school #afghan #girls #letafghangirlslearn #reportage #reportagespotlight #photojournalism #afghanwomen #everydayafghanistan #afghangirl #everydayeverywhere #everydayasia #reportagephotography (at Kunar) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChUraipNOg_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=