Female students turned away from Afghan universities after Taliban ban

Reuters:

KABUL, Dec 21 – Female university students in Afghanistan were turned away from campuses on Wednesday after the Taliban-run administration said women would be suspended from tertiary education.

The decision to bar women was announced on Tuesday evening in a letter to universities from the higher education ministry, drawing condemnation from foreign governments and the United Nations.

“We went to university, the Taliban were at the gate and told us ‘you are not allowed to enter the university until further notice’ … everyone was crying,” said Shaista, a business studies student at a private university in Kabul.

A professor at another university in Kabul who declined to be identified said staff turned female students away at the gate as they had no choice but to implement the instruction.

The bar on women students is likely to complicate the Taliban administration’s efforts to gain international recognition and to get rid of sanctions that are severely hampering the economy.

Third-year political science student Hassiba, based in Kabul, said she was studying for her exams when she heard about the announcement.