The Taliban has banned co-education in Herat’s government and private universities, according to reports. Khaama Press reported that the decision was reached after a meeting between professors, owners of private institutions, and Taliban leaders.
According to reports, women lecturers were allowed to teach only female students and not male students. Co-education was supposedly the cause of all society’s ills according to Taliban representative and head of higher education Mullah Farid. Earlier reports suggested that women were being asked to leave their workplaces as the militant group took control of the country.
Earlier in the week, a Taliban spokesperson had said that women ‘can get education from primary to higher education – that means university’. However, Zabihullah Mujahid had added that this needs to be done within the guidelines of Islamic law. According to another Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, women can get education from primary to higher education, which means university.
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As Herat’s schools reopened this week, girls were reported to be wearing hijabs to class. Herat lies along the ancient Silk Road and is renowned for its poetry and arts. Herat is a key trading city near Iran’s border. According to reports, women were allowed to attend school in Kunduz but under strict gender segregation rules. It has been reported that women teachers are not permitted to work alongside men. Several reports indicated that women have also begun wearing burqas out of fear of Taliban attacks in Kunduz.
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