Afghanistan’s universities are ready to readmit female students. However, the ruling Taliban’s leader has the ultimate say on when that might happen – if it happens at all, an education official said on Saturday.
In December, Afghanistan’s Minister of Higher Education, Neda Mohammed Nadeem, said that imposing the university ban was imperative to maintain gender segregation and align with his concerns about certain subjects conflicting with Islamic principles.
He asserted that the restriction imposed by the supreme leader of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, will continue until further notice.
An advisor from the Ministry of Higher Education, Mawlavi Abdul Jabbar, emphasized that universities stand fully prepared to welcome back female students immediately upon receiving the directive from Akhundzada to lift the ban. However, he could not provide a definitive timeline for the potential decision.
Akhundzada “ordered that the universities be closed, so they closed,” he told Associated Press. “When he says they are open, they will open the same day. All our leaders favour (restarting girls’ education); even our ministers favour it.”
The Taliban had given assurances of providing girls access to high school education, citing that classes would recommence as soon as logistical challenges related to uniforms and transportation were addressed. However, despite these assurances, girls continue to be denied classroom entry.
In a move that sparked worldwide condemnation, the Taliban prohibited women from attending educational institutions as of last December. This decision came from a previous restriction limiting girls’ access to education beyond the sixth grade, a policy implemented shortly after the Taliban regained control in August 2021. Notably, Afghanistan is the sole country to impose extensive bans on female education.
The Taliban had given assurances of providing girls access to high school education, citing that classes would recommence as soon as logistical challenges related to uniforms and transportation were addressed. However, despite these assurances, girls continue to be denied classroom entry.
His remarks come just days before the upcoming second anniversary of the Taliban’s power control. This impending milestone serves as a reminder of the evolving geopolitical landscape and the intricate challenges that have emerged since the Taliban’s resurgence.
