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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Afghan women can continue to study at universities, including at the postgraduate level, but classrooms will be segregated by gender and Islamic dress is compulsory, the minister of the state said on Sunday. Higher education of the new Taliban government.
Minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani presented the new policies at a press conference days after the new Afghan leadership formed an all-male government. On Saturday, the Taliban hoisted their flag above the presidential palace, marking the start of work for the new government.
The world watched closely how the Taliban might act differently from when they first took power in the late 1990s. At that time, girls and women were denied education and excluded from public life. .
The Taliban have suggested that they have changed, including in their attitudes towards women. However, women have been banned from sports and the Taliban have used violence in recent days against female protesters demanding equal rights.
Haqqani said the Taliban did not want to go back 20 years. “We will start to build on what is there today,” he said.
However, female university students will face restrictions, including a mandatory dress code. Haqqani said hijabs would be mandatory, but did not say whether that meant mandatory headscarves or also mandatory face coverings.
Gender segregation will also be enforced, he said. “We will not allow boys and girls to study together,” he said. “We will not allow co-education.”
Haqqani said the subjects taught would also be reviewed. Although he did not elaborate, he said he wanted Afghan university graduates to be competitive with university graduates from the region and the rest of the world.
The Taliban, who subscribe to a strict interpretation of Islam, banned music and art during their previous term. This time around, the television stayed and the news channels are still showing female anchors, but the Taliban’s messages have been erratic.
In an interview with the popular TOLO News in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman Syed Zekrullah Hashmi said women should give birth and raise children. “
The Taliban seized power on August 15, the day they invaded the capital Kabul after capturing the outlying provinces in a swift military campaign. They initially promised inclusiveness and a blanket amnesty for their former opponents, but many Afghans remain deeply afraid of the new rulers. Taliban police officials beat Afghan journalists, violently dispersed women’s protests and formed an all-male government although they initially said they would invite wider representation.
The new higher education policy marks a change from accepted practice before the Taliban took power. Universities were mixed, with men and women studying side by side, and female students did not have to adhere to a dress code. However, the vast majority of female university students chose to wear the headscarf according to traditions.
In elementary and secondary schools, boys and girls were taught separately, even before the Taliban came to power. In high schools, girls were required to wear knee-length tunics and white scarves, and jeans, makeup, and jewelry were not allowed.
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