Afghanistan’s Taliban-imposed prohibition on women attending universities has sparked international outrage and left many Afghans feeling hopeless. The regression was declared and said to go into effect right away by the minister of higher education.
The ban further restricts women’s education – girls have already been excluded from secondary schools since the Taliban returned last year. Female students have told the BBC of their anguish. Demonstrators staged protests in Kabul on Wednesday but were quickly shut down by Taliban officials. It follows a wave of new restrictions on women’s access to education and employment in recent months. In November, women were banned from parks, gyms and public baths in the capital, Kabul.
The Taliban had just three months ago allowed thousands of girls and women to sit university entrance exams. Unesco has noted that the rate of female attendance in higher education has increased 20 times between 2001 and 2018. Some women have told the BBC they gave up after the Taliban regained rule because of “too many difficulties”. It is evident that there is disagreement within the Taliban on the issue of girls’ education.
