HERAT — Taliban have started a new round of dismissals targeting academic and administrative staff at public universities and higher education institutes across western provinces, according to multiple sources who spoke to Amu TV.
The move, part of a broader plan to reduce the size of government institutions, is expected to be implemented in the coming week in the provinces of Herat, Farah, Badghis, Ghor, and Nimroz.
Sources familiar with the process say that women make up a significant portion of those targeted, raising concerns that the campaign amounts to a systematic effort to remove women from Afghanistan’s academic institutions.
In Herat alone, at least 16 faculties at the public university are expected to be affected. While the list of individuals facing dismissal has not yet been finalized, university departments have been informed that cuts are imminent.
Staff members in Herat confirmed that even before the formal process began, female employees had been asked to nominate a male relative to replace them — a condition that appears to have offered no protection, as many of those who complied are now reportedly being dismissed as well.
One female professor told Amu TV that Taliban authorities had previously posted lists of female staff on faculty walls, notifying them of their dismissal.
In Farah province, the policy reportedly applies to all female faculty and staff, with implementation expected to begin shortly. In Badghis, home to a single semi-higher education institute, a recruitment process for a new post has been suspended in anticipation of similar cuts.
In Ghor and Nimroz provinces, no official announcement has yet been made, but local sources report growing anxiety among university employees who expect similar directives to follow.
A former academic in the region warned that “the dismissal of experienced professors and education professionals will strike a severe blow to Afghanistan’s already fragile higher education system.”
Some female administrative workers, who had previously been placed on inactive status with symbolic monthly salaries of around 5,000 afghanis (less than $70), say they now face full termination. One woman called the move “a disaster,” pleading with authorities to reconsider.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed earlier this month that the group is reducing government and military personnel “to improve efficiency, reduce bureaucracy, and prevent administrative inflation.”
Dozens of academic and administrative staff have already been dismissed in other provinces, including Kabul, Khost, Bamyan, and Badakhshan.
The latest round of cuts comes amid mounting international concern over the Taliban’s continued marginalization of women and the rollback of women’s rights in education and employment across Afghanistan.
