Female students resume separate courses from men in private universities

The rise of the Taliban to power is already being felt in Afghanistan. Long Islamic clothing had disappeared from the streets of Kabul, and is now mandatory. Especially in private universities, where classes resumed on Monday, September 6th. Women can still study, but they have to do so out of the sight of men, which the France 2 team found at an establishment where a curtain was hastily installed to split the classroom in two.

On Sunday, the Taliban announced that female students would be strongly urged to wear a long, loose-fitting black jacket that covers their hair (an abaya) and a veil that allows only the eyes to be seen (the niqab). And to study out of the sight of men: in a class reserved for them only if they are over fifteen, in a class in which they are separated from men if they are under fifteen.

The Taliban have not yet announced the rules that will apply in public universities.

“Before we were together to study, we were companions, and there is this curtain, a terrible pressure but we have no choice,” Admitted to a student in the fourth year in political science. Another student in the class does not understand this decision. “It’s ridiculous, and more than that. Everything stops for us, and so many people are gone. I feel lonely and hopeless.”as you say.

The Taliban’s Minister of Higher Education, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, explained this when questioned “It is up to universities and professors to ensure that our ordinance on Islamic dress and Islamic law is respected. Girls must understand that it is for their own good.”