grade was allowed, secondary education was suspended for the vast majority of alumni, with reportedly only some girls in periphery provinces attending classes. In March 2022, the Taliban abruptly reversed plans to allow girls to resume secondary school education (defined as grade seven and upwards in Afghanistan). With the exception of the current cohort of university students, this decision leaves graduating from sixth grade as the highest level of educational attainment possible for Afghan women. Secondary schools for boys reopened on schedule. Pakistani Islamic scholars, including Taqi Usmani, urged the Taliban to re-open secondary schools for women. In May 2022, the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice published a decree requiring all women in Afghanistan to wear full-body coverings when in public (either a burqa or an abaya paired with a niqāb, which leaves only the eyes uncovered). The decree said enforcement action including fines, prison time, or termination from government employment would be taken against male "guardians" who fail to ensure their female relatives abide by the law. Rights groups, including the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan, sharply criticised the decision. The decision is expected to adversely affect the Islamic Emirate's chances of international recognition. In an interview with Christiane Amanpour, First Deputy Leader Sirajuddin Haqqani claimed the decree is only advisory and no form of hijab is compulsory in Afghanistan, though this contradicts the reality. It has been speculated that there is a genuine internal policy division over women's rights between hardliners, including Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, and pragmatists, though they publicly present a united front. In July 2022, the Taliban advised female employees in the country's finance ministry to suggest a male relative to replace them so that the women could be dismissed from their positions. Up to 60 female employees in reported receiving calls from the HR department requesting them to introduce a male family member to replace them. In November 2022, women were banned from gyms, public baths, public parks, and amusement parks. While Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the Minister for Higher Education until October 2022, was favourable for women to attend Universities, his successor Neda Mohammad Nadeem opposes University education for women. In December 2022, the Ministry of Higher Education informed the country's public and private universities that women were suspended from university education. They also banned them from NGOs. The ministry stated that female attendance would remain suspended "until a