Three Years On, Afghan Girls Still Banned from Universities

The 20th of December marks the anniversary of the ban on higher education for girls in Afghanistan. Three years ago on this day, the Ministry of Higher Education of the Islamic Emirate suspended university education for female students.

Shabana Taheri, a third-year economics student at a university in Kabul, says she lost hope for her future after hearing the news.

“When I learned that the universities were closed and we could no longer continue our studies, I was devastated. My whole family was saddened, as we couldn’t complete our education like girls in other countries.”

Meanwhile, several female students across the country are calling on the Islamic Emirate to reopen university doors to women as soon as possible.

Sadaf, a medical student, said: “I was in my first year of medical school when universities closed. I became hopeless and now see my future in darkness. We ask the Islamic Emirate to reopen universities to girls without delay.”

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai also posted on X, stating that for the country’s self-reliance, it needs hundreds of thousands of professionals men and women alike in fields such as medicine, engineering, economics, technology, and others.

At the same time, university professors warn of the negative consequences of banning women from higher education.

Sajeda Mohammadi, a university lecturer, said: “It’s been over four years since girls have been kept away from education and employment. This shows that half of society is becoming paralyzed, and such a situation could lead to a severe crisis in the future.”

Although the Islamic Emirate has not recently commented on the university ban, its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid previously told TOLOnews that work is ongoing to ensure a proper religious framework is developed for allowing female education.