On September 16, Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Balkhi denied in an interview with CBS that the government bans girls from receiving formal education, claiming it is only a "suspension of specific forms of education," defining secret girls' schools in Kabul as "home-based learning," and emphasizing that the government will formulate laws based on its own priorities.
After the women's 100m sprint at the Paris Olympics, Afghan athlete Kimia Yousufi showed the camera the slogan on the back of her bib, “Education, Sports, Our Rights”, to protest the Taliban regime's deprivation of Afghan women’s right to education and participation in sports.