INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:

Afghanistan&s Ministry of Education announced the new school year will start Wednesday and that all students should return to class.The

ministry said a ceremony to mark the occasion will also be held on Wednesday

High-ranking officials will attend, a ministerial statement read

According to the statement, all schools, colleges and other educational institutions will reopen on Wednesday.The ministry urged students

and teachers to adhere to dress codes

All teachers and students of schools, colleges and educational institutions consider clothing and uniforms in accordance with religious and

national standards,''the statement read.The Ministry of Education has also instructed all teachers to make the necessary preparations,

taking into account their responsibilities and competencies, and to provide appropriate educational conditions and environments for

students.The ministry did not issue any further details & especially regarding the issue of teenage girls.However, last week Reuters

reported that the IEA will allow girls to return to class when high schools reopen.All schools are going to open to all boys and girls,&

Aziz Ahmad Rayan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education, told Reuters.But there are some conditions for girls,& he said, adding that

female students would be taught separately from males and only by female teachers.In some rural areas where there was a shortage of female

teachers, he said that older male teachers would be allowed to teach girls, Reuters reported.There is no school that will close for this

year

If there is any school that closes, it is the responsibility of the education ministry to open it,& Rayan added.Allowing girls and women

into schools and colleges has been one of the key demands the international community has made of the IEA since it toppled the

Western-backed government in Afghanistan.The post Afghan schools to reopen after a hiatus of 186 days first appeared on Ariana News.