Many Afghan boys have refrained from going to school in solidarity with Afghanistan’s schoolgirls who have not yet been asked to physically attend classes as of yet.

Some boys in Afghanistan stayed back home saying they would not show up at school until schools are open for girls too, reported The Wall Street Journal.

“Women make up half the society. I will not show up at school until girls’ schools are open too,” said Rohullah, an 18-year-old student of Class 12.

“Girls study in the morning and boys in the afternoon. Male teachers teach boys and female teachers teach girls,” a teacher in Afghanistan told the publication. Some teachers said that girls who are low in spirits are still contemplating if they want to resume school, a teacher at a private school in Kabul said.

“The education of girls is fixing a generation. The education of boys may affect a family, but the education of girls affects society,” said the school’s principal, Mohammadreza. “We are very closely following the matter so that girls can resume their education and complete their studies.”

The newly minted Taliban government permitted high schools to reopen for only boys and male teachers. There was no mention of girl students or women teachers in the education ministry’s announcement declaring resumption of school classes for boys in grades seven to 12 from Saturday.

“All male teachers and students should attend their educational institutions,” the statement said.

The UN meanwhile expressed that it is worried about the future of girls’ schooling in Afghanistan.

Also read: Afghan girls return to school in Herat after Taliban takeover

Also read: Taliban fighters watching, Afghan women protest for their rights on Kabul streets | Watch