Skip links

Skip to Content
play

Live

Navigation menu

  • News
    • Middle East
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Ukraine war
  • Features
  • Economy
  • Opinion
  • Video
    • Coronavirus
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Sports
    • Podcasts
play

Live

In Pictures

News|Taliban

Photos: Female students turned away from Afghan universities

Afghan female students walk
A group of Afghan female students are pictured walking near Kabul University in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 21. [Ali Khara/Reuters]
Published On 21 Dec 202221 Dec 2022
facebooktwitterwhatsapp

Women university students in Afghanistan were turned away from campuses on Wednesday after the Taliban 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.

The UN’s mission in Afghanistan asked the Taliban administration to “immediately” revoke the decision.

Students and witnesses said that the presence of security forces outside universities was higher than usual and female students were told to leave by armed Taliban forces, even if they were going to complete administrative tasks.

“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.

According to the announcement, the decision was made by the Taliban administration’s cabinet.

Several Taliban officials, including the deputy foreign minister and administration spokesperson, have spoken in favour of female education in recent months.

The Taliban’s supreme spiritual leader, based in the southern city of Kandahar, has the final say on major decisions.

Most girls are unable to go to school beyond primary classes. The Taliban administration has said it is working on a plan for girls’ secondary education but has not given a timeframe.

An Afghan student walks in front of the Kabul University
Taliban leadership have said they want peaceful relations with the international community, but that foreigners should not interfere in domestic affairs. [Ali Khara/Reuters]
Advertisement
Taliban security personnel stand guard at the entrance
Taliban security personnel stand guard at the entrance gate of a university in Jalalabad. [AFP]
Male students in class
Male university students attending a class divided by a curtain separating men and women at a university in Kandahar Province on Tuesday. [Stringer/AFP]
Afghan female university students walk
Afghan female university students seen walking past a private university on their on way back home in Kabul. [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]
Taliban stand guard outside Kabul University
Armed Taliban members stand guard outside Kabul University in Kabul. [Stringer/EPA-EFE]
Afghan female student leave Kabul University
Afghan female students leave Kabul University in Kabul after the governing Taliban banned women from attending university in Afghanistan. [Stringer/EPA-EFE]
Advertisement
Setara Farahmand, a university student.
A student of German literature in Kabul University speaks during an interview at her home in Kabul. [Luana Sarmini-Buonaccorsi/AFP]
Taliban security personnel stand guard at the entrance
Taliban security personnel stand guard at the entrance gate of a private university in Kabul on Tuesday. [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]
AFGHANISTAN-WOMEN
A female university student walks in front of a university in Kandahar province after Taliban officials banned university education for women nationwide. [Stringer/AFP]
Empty seats reserved for female students
Empty seats reserved for female students at Mirwais Neeka Institute of Higher Education in Kandahar. [Stringer/EPA-EFE]


    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Sitemap
    • Community Guidelines
    • Work for us
    • HR Quality
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Apps
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2023 Al Jazeera Media Network