Taliban authorities on Tuesday ordered an indefinite ban on university education for girls in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Higher Education announced in a letter to all government and private universities in the country.
"
All of you are informed to implement the mentioned order to suspend women's education until further notice
," reads the letter released by Minister of Higher Education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem.
Ministry spokesman Ziaullah Hashimi, who tweeted the letter, also confirmed the order with AFP.
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The higher education ban comes less than three months after thousands of girls and women took university entrance exams across the country.
Girls were already deprived of access to secondary schools.
When they returned to power in August 2021, the Taliban had promised to be more flexible, but they largely returned to the ultra-rigorous interpretation of Islam which had marked their first spell in power (1996-2001).
The draconian measures have multiplied in particular against women who have been progressively excluded from public life and excluded from secondary schools.
In an unexpected about-face, on March 23 the Taliban closed secondary schools (middle and high schools) just hours after their long-announced reopening.