TE24 International Desk:
LONDON – Taliban policies on women’s high school education are becoming a de facto ban on women earning degrees, Taliban spokesmen and college officials told the Guardian.
After almost years of schooling, the girl lacks the necessary documents and educational qualifications to enter college. Mawrawi Ahmed Taqi, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education, said that unless a college graduate, a new female student would not automatically be born.
But I am confident that the Ministry of Education has made guidelines and schools will reopen soon, because we recognize that this is important and the ban on girls’ education is only temporary. It’s close to the Taliban leader who told the Guardian that Afghan students don’t have a high school diploma, can’t take the national university entrance exam “Kankar” required for admission, and can’t even take the exam at a private university.
Last year, the Taliban “graduated” its 12th grade and qualified for the exam when the new leadership took the test. However, it is unclear whether the Taliban will give “high school diplomas” to girls who are due to graduate. According to Afghan law, they cannot take the entrance exam. College admissions officials are worried about how long it will take to allow women to enter the school after nearly a year of banning it.
They are already at a disadvantage among potential students and are competing with high school graduates. Additional tuition fees can help cover missing months, but girls who haven’t finished 11th grade can’t be expected to enroll in college classes, she said. Azizlar Amir, President and Founder. After her mother, who refused to see a male doctor because of an infection, died of septic shock, she founded a university to train female doctors.
All students and staff are female, so you can attract students from the most conservative areas. But according to Amir, educational institutions were at risk of not accepting new students.
There is still time to start classes. During the remaining months of the year, more effort and support can be put in with intensive classes for students to complete, but if things continue as they are, I won’t be able to go to college next year. There will be no students, except those who graduated in the previous year, who will be a minority, said Amir.
Online education and illegal underground schools have enabled some girls to continue their education, but these efforts reach a small portion of the population.
Most secret schools are private enterprises that charge fees to at least cover their costs. But few families can afford them. Streaming or downloading a course requires at least a smartphone and a large data package which is beyond the reach of many girls.
Afghanistan’s new leaders say they support women’s education as long as it conforms to their interpretation of Islamic norms. This includes almost complete gender segregation, although male professors teach some female courses due to lack of expertise.
Taki cited as evidence the ministry’s efforts to remodel and repurpose buildings to allow women to attend same-sex classes. Some universities now alternate teaching between men and women. Committed to our service. We have plans, policies and procedures and as you can see, college education is for both girls and boys,” he said.
