Taking control over most of Afghanistan, including the capital city of Kabul, the Taliban has so far delivered on its promise not to prevent females from receiving an education. This is a far cry from banning female education in the 1990s. This time around however, the Talibans have for sure made few adjustments.
Taliban: "Schools have restarted, but male & female students who once attended mixed classes must sit in separate classrooms and wear Islamic clothing. Herat University, one of Afghanistan’s most prestigious higher education institutions, remains closed." https://t.co/IsQFwWrx9q pic.twitter.com/0dJN0OCCkL
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) August 30, 2021
Several days after 15 August 2021, when the Taliban entered Kabul, female Afghan students headed to their schools and universities, despite fears the group now in charge of the country might demand an end to girls' education.
Most fear of the Taliban's decision to ban young girls and women from going to schools and universities are based on the fact the group imposed similar rules during its first round in power in 1996. However, the group's return comes at a time during when their spokesmen is reassuring the Afghan nation and the international community that the Taliban have learned lessons from the past and they are going to "allow everyone to get an education".
Taliban have decided to segregate university students of based on their gender. They have also decided only female teachers or old men could teach female students. There aren’t enough female teachers.
— Sami Mahdi (@Samiullah_mahdi) August 29, 2021
Thinking of my students at Kabul Uni who will be deprived of education rights. pic.twitter.com/gMGZ9kJp3v
Banning coeducation, Taliban say girls & boys will study in separate classes.
— Malali Bashir (@MalaliBashir) August 30, 2021
Some classes have as little as 4 girl students. How would a university hire a female teacher for them? Do we even have enough female teachers?
This will force girls out of universities in #Afghanistan.
Local media sources have been reporting regular attendance of both male and female students in Afghanistan's schools and universities so far. Yet, schools have been ordered to stop mixing genders on all levels and female students of different ages have been showing up with headscarves on.
This change is stirring many questions by online people who express their worry that such regulations may indirectly result in a change in the educational turnout of female students, especially on higher university levels where there is not always enough women to open up separate classes for them. So we have to wait and see!
