Listen to article
|
Top officials at several Afghan nursing and midwifery institutions announced on Tuesday that, in accordance with a new edict from the Taliban’s supreme leader, women would be prohibited from attending their courses. This move is part of the broader, ongoing restrictions on women’s education in Afghanistan under Taliban governance.
In Kabul on Monday, health officials met with the heads of educational institutes to deliver the news of the new ruling, a source from the Ministry of Public Health, who requested anonymity, told AFP. The meeting aimed to brief the directors on the Taliban’s latest decree, which restricts women’s participation in education.
“There is no official letter but the directors of institutes were informed in a meeting that women and girls can’t study anymore in their institutes,” he said.
“They were not provided with any details and justification and were just told of the order of the supreme leader and were asked to implement it.”
A manager from one of the institutions, who requested not to be named for fear of retaliation, disclosed that the meeting saw the participation of dozens of fellow managers, all gathered to receive the crucial updates.
According to a senior employee from a different center, who spoke to AFP, his supervisor had participated in an additional meeting with health officials on Tuesday to clarify the confusion surrounding the new directive.
The employee said institutes had been given 10 days to hold final exams. Some managers petitioned the ministry for clarity, while others carried on as normal in the absence of a written order.
Not long after Taliban authorities swept back to power in 2021, they barred girls from education beyond secondary school as part of restrictions labelled “gender apartheid” by the United Nations.
Women students then flocked to health institutes, one of the few avenues still open to them. They now make up the majority of students in these centres.
Afghanistan has around 10 public and more than 150 private health institutes offering two-year diplomas in 18 subjects, ranging from midwifery to anaesthesia, pharmacy and dentistry, with a total of 35,000 women students, health ministry sources said.
Read also: Northwest Pakistan Hit By Suicide Attack, 10 Dead
“What are we supposed to do with just 10 percent of our students?” one manager said.
Aysha — not her real name — a midwifery teacher at a private institute in Kabul, said she received a message from management telling her not to come to work until further notice with little explanation.
“This is a big shock for us. Psychologically, we are shaken,” the 28-year-old said.
“This was the only source of hope for the girls and women who were banned from universities.”
The United Kingdom’s charge d’affaires said he was “deeply concerned” by the reports.
“This is another affront to women’s right to education and will further restrict access to healthcare for Afghan women and children,” he posted on social media platform X.
The health ministry source said the ban would squeeze an already suffering health sector.
“We are already short of professional medical and para-medical staff and this would result in further shortages.”