The Taliban has destroyed education for women – but an underground ‘University of the People’ is fighting back
1 year, 4 months ago

The Taliban has destroyed education for women – but an underground ‘University of the People’ is fighting back

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. After the Taliban shut down women’s colleges and universities in December last year – at gunpoint in some places – this online classroom has become the only place for women like Ferhana to meet and study literature, business administration and computer science, among other courses. For her master’s degree in advanced teaching, Ferhana mostly uses the app Evernote to organise assignments and add reminders for submissions that are due at the “University of the People” – an American non-profit providing distance learning. “To travel abroad, the Taliban will ask me to be accompanied by a mehram.” Similar grievances raised in the emails Reshef receives from women, some of whom are even seeking evacuation, have made him work towards a solution that would help them. “We are looking to provide these women with some job internships and tie-ups with foreign organisations, so that the road doesn’t end at graduation.” *Names changed to protect identities

Education Women Students Independent University Afghanistan Online Taliban Reshef Hamdiya Ferhana  study  taliban  online  destroyed  hamdiya  education  women  students  underground  ferhana  afghanistan  fighting  university

History of this topic

Malala Yousafzai says ‘Israel has decimated the entire education system’ in Gaza
3 days, 15 hours ago

Malala Yousafzai says ‘Israel has decimated the entire education system’ in Gaza

The Hindu  

Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai on Sunday said she would continue to call out Israel’s violations of international law and human rights in Gaza. “I will continue to call out Israel’s violations of international law and human rights.” Ms. Yousafzai was shot when she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl by Pakistani militants enraged by her education activism. Malala Yousafzai tells Muslim …

'Afghanistan needs educated women too': Top cricketers demand reversal of Taliban's ban on women education
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

'Afghanistan needs educated women too': Top cricketers demand reversal of Taliban's ban on women education

Firstpost  

The Taliban administration, earlier this week, banned women from pursuing nursing and midwifery courses. After they were barred from education beyond secondary school as part of restrictions labelled “gender apartheid” by the UN, women flocked to these health institutions, one of the only avenues left open for them A mother holds her child as she rests in her arms, while …

Afghanistan: Taliban bans women from training to become midwives and nurses
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

Afghanistan: Taliban bans women from training to become midwives and nurses

Op India  

Afghanistan’s only avenue for women pursuing higher education was essentially cut off when they were told not to return to school in the morning to complete their midwifery and nursing courses. The Taliban’s new order bans women from medical education, closing the last remaining institutions where women can learn. pic.twitter.com/C3SNsIC6OY — Habib Khan December 3, 2024 The shutdown, however, is …

EU condemns reported Taliban move to suspend medical education for women and girls
1 month, 1 week ago

EU condemns reported Taliban move to suspend medical education for women and girls

Associated Press  

The European Union on Wednesday condemned the Taliban for violating human rights and women’s access to education after media reports that the Taliban’s leader has ordered private and public institutions to stop providing medical courses for women and girls in Afghanistan. The EU said the Taliban’s latest reported decision represented another appalling violation of fundamental human rights and an unjustifiable …

Rights Group: Afghan women barred from studying nursing and midwifery
1 month, 1 week ago

Rights Group: Afghan women barred from studying nursing and midwifery

NPR  

Rights Group: Afghan women barred from studying nursing and midwifery toggle caption Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images The Taliban's supreme leader has ordered a ban on women attending nursing and midwifery institutes, closing a rare avenue they had to pursue an education beyond the sixth grade, a human rights group says. "This new decree — banning women from nursing and …

Taliban bans women from training as midwives
1 month, 1 week ago

Taliban bans women from training as midwives

The Independent  

Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A director at leading global charity Human Rights Watch said the measures would lead to women …

How Taliban Rule Has Reshaped Higher Education in Afghanistan
3 months, 3 weeks ago

How Taliban Rule Has Reshaped Higher Education in Afghanistan

The Diplomat  

Three years ago, Roya was well on her way to her lifelong dream of a career in medicine. Three years of Taliban rule have made it clear that policies toward higher education are not just about separating men and women, but are about remaking Afghan society. While international media attention focused mostly on the banning of girls from secondary education, …

Afghanistan: A Nation Deprived, a Future Denied
4 months, 1 week ago

Afghanistan: A Nation Deprived, a Future Denied

The Diplomat  

Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “The measure of a civilization is how it treats its weakest members." This devastating policy has stripped nearly 1.4 million young Afghan girls of their right to education, leaving 75 percent of the nation's girls without schooling. Power in Afghanistan rests solely with the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, whose strict stance on women's rights ensures …

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai calls on Taliban to provide education to girls and women
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai calls on Taliban to provide education to girls and women

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai …

Taliban deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, U.N. agency says
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Taliban deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, U.N. agency says

LA Times  

Young schoolgirls attend class in Kabul last year. The Taliban has deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, according to a United Nations agency. At least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since the takeover, an increase of 300,000 since its previous count in April 2023, with more girls reaching the age …

Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, says UNESCO
5 months ago

Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, says UNESCO

The Hindu  

The Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, a U.N. agency said on Thursday. UNESCO said at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since the takeover, an increase of 300,000 since its previous count in April 2023, with more girls reaching the age limit of 12 every year. “If …

Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, says UNESCO
5 months ago

Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, says UNESCO

Associated Press  

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, a United Nations agency said Thursday. UNESCO said at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since the takeover, an increase of 300,000 since its previous count in April 2023, with more girls reaching the age limit of 12 …

1,000 days have passed since the Taliban barred girls from secondary education, the UN says
7 months ago

1,000 days have passed since the Taliban barred girls from secondary education, the UN says

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. That's according to the U.N. children’s agency, which said …

1,000 days have passed since the Taliban barred girls from secondary education, the UN says
7 months ago

1,000 days have passed since the Taliban barred girls from secondary education, the UN says

Associated Press  

ISLAMABAD — A thousand days have passed since girls in Afghanistan were banned from attending secondary schools, according to the U.N. children’s agency, which said Thursday that “no country can move forward when half its population is left behind.” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell in a statement urged Taliban authorities to allow all children to resume learning immediately, and called …

1,000 Days of Girls Banned From Education in Afghanistan
7 months ago

1,000 Days of Girls Banned From Education in Afghanistan

The Diplomat  

An underground network of informal schools, run by brave volunteers, is the only access to continued education for girls past primary school. For over two and a half years, we women’s rights and education activists have been counting the days, and we desperately call on the Taliban to reopen the doors of secondary schools for female students. Furthermore, even before …

Taliban ban on girls’ education defies both worldly and religious logic
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Taliban ban on girls’ education defies both worldly and religious logic

Al Jazeera  

Spring has arrived in Afghanistan, and Afghan children have returned to their schools to begin a new academic year. On March 21, 2022, the Taliban promised to reopen all schools in Afghanistan, seemingly ending the temporary ban it had placed on girls attending secondary school since its return to power seven months earlier.Two days later, while many girls were enthusiastically …

The women’s rights activist abducted, jailed and tortured by the Taliban
9 months, 2 weeks ago

The women’s rights activist abducted, jailed and tortured by the Taliban

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Wesa, one of the last pro-education activists in the …

Taliban’s education ban forces girls and women into ‘dull’ online classes
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Taliban’s education ban forces girls and women into ‘dull’ online classes

The Hindu  

Sequestered at home in a remote Afghan town, 18-year-old Shekiba often roams the house hunting for the patchy Internet signal that is her last link to an education. If one person progresses in a family, the whole family progresses, as well as the whole society.” Boys and men returned to classes with the start of the new school year in …

Afghanistan’s school year starts without more than 1 million girls barred from education by Taliban
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Afghanistan’s school year starts without more than 1 million girls barred from education by Taliban

Associated Press  

ISLAMABAD — The school year in Afghanistan started Wednesday but without girls whom the Taliban barred from attending classes beyond the sixth grade, making it the only country with restrictions on female education. The invitations sent out to reporters said: “Due to the lack of a suitable place for the sisters, we apologize to female reporters.” During a ceremony, the …

As Afghanistan’s school year starts, more than 1 million girls still barred from education by Taliban
9 months, 3 weeks ago

As Afghanistan’s school year starts, more than 1 million girls still barred from education by Taliban

LA Times  

A girl reads a book in her classroom in Kabul in 2023. The school year in Afghanistan started Wednesday but without girls whom the Taliban barred from attending classes beyond the sixth grade, making it the only country with restrictions on female education. The invitations sent out to reporters said: “Due to the lack of a suitable place for the …

Clearing sixth grade means 'graduation' for girls in Taliban ruled Afghanistan
1 year ago

Clearing sixth grade means 'graduation' for girls in Taliban ruled Afghanistan

Firstpost  

Analyst Muhammad Saleem Paigir warned that excluding women and girls from education will be disastrous for Afghanistan. “We understand that illiterate people can never be free and prosperous,” he said On December 11, 13-year-old Bahara Rustam left Bibi Razia School in Kabul, aware that her academic career was coming to an end. The Taliban declared in September 2021 that girls …

Afghan schoolgirls are finishing sixth grade in tears. Under Taliban rule, their education is over
1 year ago

Afghan schoolgirls are finishing sixth grade in tears. Under Taliban rule, their education is over

Associated Press  

KABUL, Afghanistan — Bahara Rustam, 13, took her last class at Bibi Razia School in Kabul on Dec. 11 knowing it was the end of her education. In September 2021, a month after U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan following two decades of war, the Taliban announced that girls were barred from studying beyond sixth grade. Last week, U.N. …

Taliban official says Afghan girls of all ages permitted to study in religious schools
1 year ago

Taliban official says Afghan girls of all ages permitted to study in religious schools

Associated Press  

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan girls of all ages are permitted to study in religious schools, which are traditionally boys-only, a Taliban official said Thursday. A day earlier, U.N. special envoy Roza Otunbayeva told the Security Council and reporters that the United Nations was receiving “more and more anecdotal evidence” that girls could study at the Islamic schools known as madrassas. …

UN is seeking to verify that Afghanistan’s Taliban are letting girls study at religious schools
1 year ago

UN is seeking to verify that Afghanistan’s Taliban are letting girls study at religious schools

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations is seeking to verify reports that Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are allowing girls of all ages to study at Islamic religious schools that are traditionally boys-only, the U.N.’s top official in the country said Wednesday. She said that the Taliban Ministry of Education is reportedly undertaking an assessment of madrassas as well as a review …

Taliban’s abusive education policies harm boys as well as girls in Afghanistan, rights group says
1 year, 1 month ago

Taliban’s abusive education policies harm boys as well as girls in Afghanistan, rights group says

Associated Press  

ISLAMABAD — The Taliban’s “abusive” educational policies are harming boys as well as girls in Afghanistan, according to a Human Rights Watch report published Wednesday. The Taliban have been globally condemned for banning girls and women from secondary school and university, but the rights group says there has been less attention to the deep harm inflicted on boys’ education. “The …

Afghanistan marks two years of women and girls being banned from schools: ‘Hopeless and broken’
1 year, 3 months ago

Afghanistan marks two years of women and girls being banned from schools: ‘Hopeless and broken’

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UN General Assembly is …

2 years ago, the Taliban banned girls from school. It’s a worsening crisis for all Afghans
1 year, 3 months ago

2 years ago, the Taliban banned girls from school. It’s a worsening crisis for all Afghans

Associated Press  

ISLAMABAD — Two years after the Taliban banned girls from school beyond sixth grade, Afghanistan is the only country in the world with restrictions on female education. The Taliban stopped girls’ education beyond sixth grade because they said it didn’t comply with their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia. Their perspective on girls’ education partly comes from a specific school …

Now, Taliban stops women from sightseeing: All ways Afghan women’s rights have been suppressed
1 year, 4 months ago

Now, Taliban stops women from sightseeing: All ways Afghan women’s rights have been suppressed

Firstpost  

Since coming to power in August 2021, the Taliban government has made a number of moves to suppress the rights of Afghan women. Human Rights Watch’s Associate Women’s Rights Director Heather Barr called the decision to ban women “cruel in a very intentional way”. “Step by step the walls are closing in on women as every home becomes a prison.” …

Rights groups condemn Taliban’s new curbs on women’s education, movement
1 year, 4 months ago

Rights groups condemn Taliban’s new curbs on women’s education, movement

Al Jazeera  

Watchdogs slam Taliban’s ‘flagrant violation of the right to education and freedom of movement’ after Afghan women stopped from boarding a flight to Dubai to study on a scholarship. Human rights groups have condemned the Taliban’s latest restrictions on Afghan women’s education and movement after it barred them from visiting one of Afghanistan’s most popular national parks and stopped them …

United Nations envoy says ICC should prosecute Taliban for crimes against humanity denying girls education
1 year, 4 months ago

United Nations envoy says ICC should prosecute Taliban for crimes against humanity denying girls education

The Hindu  

The International Criminal Court should prosecute Taliban leaders for a crime against humanity for denying education and employment to Afghan girls and women, the United Nations special envoy for global education said. Gordon Brown told a virtual UN press conference on the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on August 15 that its rulers are responsible for “the …

UN envoy says ICC should prosecute Taliban for crimes against humanity for denying girls education
1 year, 4 months ago

UN envoy says ICC should prosecute Taliban for crimes against humanity for denying girls education

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The International Criminal Court should prosecute Taliban leaders for a crime against humanity for denying education and employment to Afghan girls and women, the U.N. special envoy for global education said. Gordon Brown told a virtual U.N. press conference on the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on Tuesday that its rulers are responsible for …

UN envoy says ICC should prosecute Taliban for crimes against humanity for denying girls education
1 year, 4 months ago

UN envoy says ICC should prosecute Taliban for crimes against humanity for denying girls education

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The International Criminal Court should prosecute Taliban leaders …

After two years of Taliban rule, uncertainty clouds women’s education
1 year, 5 months ago

After two years of Taliban rule, uncertainty clouds women’s education

Live Mint  

Afghanistan’s universities are ready to readmit female students, but the ruling Taliban's leader has the ultimate say on when that might happen — if it happens at all, an education official said Saturday. An adviser at the Higher Education Ministry, Molvi Abdul Jabbar, said universities were ready to readmit female students as soon as Akhundzada gives the order for the …

Afghan universities ready to readmit women but not until Taliban leader says it’s ok, official says
1 year, 5 months ago

Afghan universities ready to readmit women but not until Taliban leader says it’s ok, official says

Associated Press  

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s universities are ready to readmit female students, but the ruling Taliban’s leader has the ultimate say on when that might happen — if it happens at all, an education official said Saturday. Afghanistan’s higher education minister, Nida Mohammed Nadim, said at the time the university ban was necessary to prevent the mixing of genders and because …

Afghan universities ready to readmit women but not until Taliban leader says it's ok, official says
1 year, 5 months ago

Afghan universities ready to readmit women but not until Taliban leader says it's ok, official says

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Afghanistan’s universities are ready to …

Taliban bans girl students from attending school beyond third grade
1 year, 5 months ago

Taliban bans girl students from attending school beyond third grade

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The local Taliban officials have …

Why is Afghanistan probing educational projects in Kandahar?
1 year, 8 months ago

Why is Afghanistan probing educational projects in Kandahar?

Firstpost  

Meanwhile, Girls cannot go to school beyond sixth grade in Afghanistan, with the education ban extending to universities New Delhi: The spokesperson of the Kandahar Education Department, Mutwakul Ahmed has said that they have been instructed by the leadership of the Ministry of Education to suspend the activities of regional classes and all educational institutions in this province until further …

Afghan religious scholars criticize girls’ education ban
1 year, 9 months ago

Afghan religious scholars criticize girls’ education ban

Associated Press  

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Afghan religious scholars Saturday criticized a ban on female education, as a key Taliban minister warned clerics not to rebel against the government on the controversial issue. One scholar, Abdul Rahman Abid, said institutions should be permitted to re-admit girls and women through separate classes, hiring female teachers, staggering timetables, and even building new facilities. My personal …

Taliban arrest prominent activist for Afghan girls’ education
1 year, 9 months ago

Taliban arrest prominent activist for Afghan girls’ education

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A prominent 30-year-old Afghan civil …

Afghanistan school year starts without millions of teenage girls
1 year, 9 months ago

Afghanistan school year starts without millions of teenage girls

Al Jazeera  

Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, only girls aged 12 and under have been allowed to go to school. Afghanistan’s schools have reopened for the new academic year, but hundreds of thousands of teenage girls remain barred from attending classes as Taliban authorities ban their attendance in secondary school. Education Minister Habibullah Agha confirmed in a statement that schools up …

Calls for Taliban to let Afghan girls return to high school as boys' classes resume
1 year, 9 months ago

Calls for Taliban to let Afghan girls return to high school as boys' classes resume

ABC  

Thirteen-year-old Zala Sherani loves karate, martial arts and swimming, and she is preparing to start high school next term. Key points: The Taliban has said the ban on high school for girls is temporary But girls are still unable to attend 18 months after the ban Girls and their parents say learning is in line with Islamic law and they …

Woman In Afghanistan Spray-Paints Walls To Protest The Taliban
1 year, 10 months ago

Woman In Afghanistan Spray-Paints Walls To Protest The Taliban

Huff Post  

Zahra, an activist for women's rights who spray-paints messages of resistance on the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan. But Taliban officials have made no “firm commitments” about reopening schools and universities to the country’s women and girls, Tomas Niklasson, the European Union’s special envoy for Afghanistan, reportedly said earlier this month. “Afghanistan under the Taliban remains the most repressive country in …

International Women’s Day: The exclusion of Afghanistan’s women
1 year, 10 months ago

International Women’s Day: The exclusion of Afghanistan’s women

Al Jazeera  

Eighty percent of school-aged Afghan girls and young women – totalling 2.5 million people – continue to be out of school. The United Nations on Wednesday said Afghanistan under the Taliban government is the “most repressive country in the world” for women’s rights, with authorities effectively trapping women and girls in their homes. “It has been distressing to witness their …

Afghan universities reopen but women still barred
1 year, 10 months ago

Afghan universities reopen but women still barred

The Hindu  

Afghan universities reopened on Monday after a winter break, but only men returned to class with a "heartbreaking" ban by the Taliban authorities on women in higher education still in force. The university ban is one of several restrictions imposed on women since the Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021 and has sparked global outrage – including across …

Afghan universities reopen, but women still barred
1 year, 10 months ago

Afghan universities reopen, but women still barred

The Hindu  

Male students trickled back to their classes Monday after Afghan universities reopened following a winter break, but women remain barred by Taliban authorities. The university ban is one of several restrictions imposed on women since the Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021, and has sparked global outrage— including across the Muslim world. Several Taliban officials say the ban …

Afghanistan universities reopen but women still barred by Taliban
1 year, 10 months ago

Afghanistan universities reopen but women still barred by Taliban

Al Jazeera  

The university ban is one of several restrictions imposed on women since the Taliban stormed back to power in 2021. “We are trying to address this issue by talking to lecturers and other students so that there can be a way where boys and girls could study and progress together.” ‘Gender-based apartheid’ Ejatullah Nejati, an engineering student at Kabul University, …

The theology behind the Taliban’s misogyny
1 year, 10 months ago

The theology behind the Taliban’s misogyny

The Hindu  

After the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, one of the assurances the triumphalist Taliban gave to the world was that they would respect women’s rights. In Secluded Scholars: Women’s Education and Muslim Social Reform in Colonial India, historian Gail Minault narrates how Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, founder of the Aligarh Muslim University, angrily tore up …

Ruling Taliban display rare division in public over bans
1 year, 10 months ago

Ruling Taliban display rare division in public over bans

Associated Press  

ISLAMABAD — A rare public show of division within the ranks of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban emerged in recent days when Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, a powerful government figure, gave a speech seen as implicit criticism of the movement’s reclusive supreme leader. The Taliban have typically dealt with internal differences behind the scenes, and Haqqani’s comments “are a major escalation,” said …

Ruling Taliban display rare division in public over bans
1 year, 10 months ago

Ruling Taliban display rare division in public over bans

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

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