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What's next for Afghan girls turned away from schools hours after opening?

An Afghan girl walks towards her school along a field on the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif. (Farshad Usyan/AFP via Getty Images)
An Afghan girl walks towards her school along a field on the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif. (Farshad Usyan/AFP via Getty Images)

More than a million Afghan high school girls were promised a return to classes Wednesday, for the first time since the Taliban take over in August. Most were turned away at the door; others sent home just hours after their school day started.

Taliban officials say schools will remain closed until a plan is drawn up that allows reopening consistent with Islamic law. The sudden about-face was crushing to students and parents, and could have a profound impact on donor aid to the country. But what’s next for these girls?

Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee talks to Wazhma Frogh, co-founder of the Women and Peace Studies Organization in Afghanistan and a member of the Afghan Women’s Network.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.