INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
children&s agency said it was holding discussions with the Islamic Emirate&s officials over ''timelines and practicalities& for a possible
required handover of its education programmes and that classes would continue in the meantime, Reuters reported.Aid officials say that the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) had signalled international organisations could no longer be involved in education projects, in a move
but not yet confirmed by Afghan authorities.UNICEF said it had received assurances from the education ministry that its community-based
classes, which educate 500,000 students, would continue while they discussed the matter.As the lead agency for the education cluster in
Afghanistan, UNICEF is engaged in constructive discussions with the de facto Ministry of Education and appreciates the commitment from the
de facto minister to keep all … classes continuing while discussions take place about timelines and practicalities,& UNICEF&s Afghanistan
spokesperson, Samantha Mort, told Reuters.In order to minimise disruption to children&s learning, it is imperative that any handover to
national NGOs is done strategically and includes comprehensive assessment and capacity building.A spokesperson for the IEA did not respond
The Ministry of Education has not publicly confirmed the policy.The Islamic Emirate, who took power in 2021, have closed most secondary
schools to girls, stopped female students attending universities and stopped many Afghan women working for aid groups and the United Nations
in accordance with their strict interpretation of Islamic law.International organisations have been heavily involved in education projects,
and UNICEF made an agreement with the IEA to run community classes before they took over the country.Two humanitarian sources told Reuters
this month that aid agencies had been told provincial authorities had been directed to stop the involvement of international organisations
in education projects, possibly within weeks.The U.N
spokesperson in New York said the move would be a &horrendous step backwards&.UNICEF runs many community-based classes including for 300,000
girls, often in homes in rural areas.The post UN in talks about possibly handing over Afghan teaching projects to IEA first appeared on
