would change their minds. almost every afghan girl we have spoken to has broken down within minutes of talking about school. habiba says she doesn t believe taliban claims that the closure is temporary. occasionally they forget their grief when they reminisce about school life, how they pranked a new teacher orjoked in drama class. education has never come easy. mahthab was injured in a school bombing that killed more than 80 before the taliban took over but she was determined to study.