KABUL — Taliban have dismissed hundreds of university professors, including both men and women, from campuses across Afghanistan in a sweeping and largely unexplained move, according to multiple academic and administrative sources.
The dismissals reportedly affected institutions in key provinces, including Kabul, Herat and Bamiyan, and were carried out without formal notice, transparent evaluations, or clear criteria, the sources told Amu.
Three professors confirmed to Amu that their names appeared on dismissal lists, noting that most of those removed hold advanced degrees and had been engaged in academic work for years.
“Everyone on the list has a Ph.D., they are educated, experienced. These are the people who should have been promoted, not fired,” one dismissed faculty member said with a broken voice. “First it was the women, now the men are being pushed out too.”
The Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education has not issued an official explanation for the terminations. However, several of the ousted academics said they had not received their salaries for the past two months and described what they called a coercive religious environment on campuses. Professors were reportedly required to attend congregational noon prayers daily and participate in mandatory Islamic guidance sessions twice a week.
Some analysts believe the mass dismissals are part of a broader Taliban effort to reshape the country’s academic institutions by removing independent or critical voices and replacing them with ideologically aligned figures.
The Taliban had previously barred women from higher education altogether, a move that drew widespread international condemnation. This latest wave of dismissals now appears to target male faculty as well, raising further concerns about the future of Afghanistan’s already embattled university system.
According to sources, at least 200 university lecturers from Kabul, Herat, and Balkh universities have left Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. This exodus is part of a broader trend of brain drain affecting the country’s higher education sector. The departure of these academics has led to significant staffing shortages, with some departments operating with only one lecturer remaining. Factors contributing to this situation include a 50% reduction in salaries, restrictions on female faculty members, and ideological pressures imposed by the Taliban regime
