‘They do not teach us what we need’: Inside the expansion of religious schools for girls across Afghanistan

Story by Isobel Yeung and Mick Krever | Video by Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou and Mark Baron, CNN

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — “I want” – the girl stops herself – “I wanted to be a doctor in the future. But when the Taliban came to Afghanistan, all the doors of schools were closed.”

Inside the Taliban-approved Naji-e-Bashra madrasa – a girls-only religious school on the outskirts of Kabul – a teenage girl wearing a full face covering speaks nervously. Her classmate grabs her arm beneath the table, aware that any criticism of the ruling Taliban government is ill-advised.

Imperfect though these religious institutions are, they are the only option for most Afghan girls over the age of 12 who want any education. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world that prohibits girls and women from g