Taliban vowed to respect rights of girls and women, but many can no longer attend school

For a brief moment in the tree-lined courtyard of Malalai School in Kabul, it's like nothing else matters. 

Dozens of schoolgirls hold hands, whirling around as they dance together in a circle, their giggles ringing through the air. Others sit in a row, their faces earnest as they sing a song together about unity in Afghanistan. 

It's the easy joy of youth, but for schoolgirls under Taliban control, it's devastatingly precarious.

Inside the school in the Afghan capital, Grade 6 students, now the oldest female pupils at Malalai, study the day's lesson as the fear that their education may be in jeopardy weighs on their minds. 

"I got sad when I heard the upper classes can't come to school [anymore]," said Rahna, sitting in the front row of the class.

"I don't know if this is our last year. If next year, we can come to school or not?"

About 1,000 students at this school alone have been forced to stay home since the Taliban barred female students in grades seven and above from going to school in the weeks after taking back power from the Western-backed government following 20 years of war.

The extremist rulers have said the move is only temporary. But it's been more than a month, and hundreds of thousands of female students remain stuck at home, with their dreams and potential at risk of being squandered. 

"I hope ... we can continue our education until we get a good job," Rahna said. "I'd like to be a doctor to serve my nation." 

Just days after the Taliban's August victory, government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid held his first press conference. He promised the new Taliban regime was "committed to the rights of women" within the context of its strict interpretation of Islamic law. 

"Our sisters, our men have the same rights," Mujahid said. "The international community, if they have concerns, we would like to assure them that there's not going to be any discrimination against women, but, of course, within the frameworks that we have." 

But in mid-September, when secondary schools were allowed to re-open, only boys were allowed to return to class. Girls were left out of the announcement completely — invisible despite that vow to respect women's rights. The UN says 4.2 million Afghan children are currently out of school, including 2.6 million girls.

Taliban officials, including Mujahid, have since said a "safe learning environment" needs to be established before girls in upper years can return to classes. But there's scant detail on what that means or when it might be in place.

Every day that passes brings more heartache for the young women who fear their futures are slipping away.