KABUL, JANUARY 28 (ONASA-FoNet) – The Afghan Ministry of Higher Education, which is run by the Taliban, has banned women from enrolling in colleges, according to a letter sent to private colleges and institutions of higher education, local television Tolonjuz reported today.
The letter states that women are not allowed to enroll in colleges “until further notice”. Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, Afghanistan has become the only country in the world that denies women education. Originally, they forbade girls to attend elementary school after the sixth grade, reports Hina.
The Taliban cited violation of Islamic dress codes and co-education with men as the reason for banning women from college.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on extremists to reverse the ban on secondary and higher education for women, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, an intergovernmental organization that includes all Muslim-majority countries, rejected the Taliban’s claim that their treatment of women and girls is in accordance with Sharia law. (end)