KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has issued a new directive barring women from attending medical and semi-professional institutes, effectively cutting off one of the last avenues for higher education available to women in the country, sources confirmed on Monday.
Sources said that Akhundzada’s order was communicated on Monday by the Taliban minister of public health during a meeting with the heads of medical institutes in Kabul.
“Girls will no longer be allowed to study at these institutions,” one source reported, citing remarks made at the meeting.
A final blow to education
This decision marks yet another severe restriction on women’s education in Afghanistan. Following the closure of universities to women in December 2022, many had turned to medical institutes as their only option for continuing studies. Now, with this latest directive, even that path has been closed.
Women in Afghanistan have been barred from attending secondary schools for more than three years, and this ban effectively eliminates their opportunities for professional training in healthcare, a sector critically under-resourced in the country.
Afghanistan faces a dire shortage of medical professionals, particularly female doctors, nurses, and midwives needed to provide essential services to women. Experts warn that the ban will exacerbate an already fragile healthcare system, leaving countless Afghan women without access to adequate care.
Observers note that these policies not only decimate educational opportunities for Afghan women but also deepen the ongoing humanitarian crisis. “The Taliban’s ban on education for women is not just a blow to their rights but a devastating setback for Afghanistan’s struggling healthcare system,” said one health policy expert.
International organizations and human rights advocates have condemned the Taliban’s escalating restrictions on women, calling on the international community to pressure the Taliban to reverse its discriminatory policies.
