Amidst the brutal clampdown on women’s rights in Sharia-governed Afghanistan, the Taliban regime has banned university education for women on Tuesday. As per the new order, access to universities for female students will remain suspended till further notice.
In a letter, confirmed by Ziaullah Hashimi, the spokesperson of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education, all the public and private universities are instructed to suspend access to female students immediately, in compliance with the cabinet decision.
“You are all informed to immediately implement the mentioned order of suspending female education until further notice,” said a letter signed by Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem and addressed to all government and private universities.
The US has condemned the regressive order issued by the Taliban. US State Secretary Antony Blinken called the Taliban’s announcement a setback to their objective of being accepted by the international community.
“Deeply dismayed by the announcement from the Taliban denying women the right to university education. Afghan women deserve better. Afghanistan deserves better. The Taliban have just definitively set back their objective of being accepted by the international community,” Blinken tweeted.
Deeply dismayed by the announcement from the Taliban denying women the right to a university education. Afghan women deserve better. Afghanistan deserves better. The Taliban have just definitively set back their objective of being accepted by the international community.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 20, 2022
In his official statement, Blinken said, “No other country in the world bars women and girls from receiving education.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement condemned the “indefensible decision.”
US condemns, Taliban’s indefensible decision to ban women from universities, to keep secondary schools closed to girls, & to continue to impose other restrictions on women & girls in Afghanistan to exercise their human rights & fundamental freedoms: US State Dept spox Ned Price pic.twitter.com/I2DfHnY6bj
— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2022
Human rights watchdog, Human Rights Watch, slammed the move by the Taliban and said, “A shameful move. The Taliban have banned women in Afghanistan from attending universities. This is the latest in a series of policies that have restricted the basic rights of women and girls.”
A shameful move. The Taliban have banned women in Afghanistan from attending universities.
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) December 20, 2022
This is the latest in a series of policies that have restricted the basic rights of women and girls. pic.twitter.com/qVPBNkxOib
The ban on higher education comes three months after thousands of girls and women across the country took university entrance exams. The universities are currently closed for the winter and will reopen in March.
Following the Taliban’s takeover of the country, universities were compelled to implement new rules, such as gender-segregated classrooms and entrances. Women were only permitted to be educated by women professors or old men. Girls in Afghanistan already have very limited access to secondary education and a ban now on their university education shatters their dreams of pursuing careers of their choice.
On December 17, former Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh exposed the new school curriculum issued by the Taliban-led government in the country. In a series of tweets, Saleh said that the new curriculum had introduced 62 recent changes, including calling the United Nations’ satanic’ and anti-woman regulations.
