Afghanistan’s health ministry recently held a meeting in Kabul with heads of educational institutions to communicate a directive banning women from studying nursing and midwifery. While no formal announcement has been made, the decision is reportedly based on an edict from the Taliban’s supreme leader, according to multiple institutional sources.
A health ministry official warned this move would worsen the already strained healthcare sector. “We are already short of professional medical and para-medical staff, which would result in further shortages,” the official stated. Videos from training centers showed female students in tears as they received the news.
Lack of Written Directive Creates Confusion
“There is no official letter, but the directors of institutes were informed in a meeting that women and girls can’t study anymore in their institutes,” an unnamed health ministry official said. “They were not provided with any details and justification and were just told of the order of the supreme leader and were asked to implement it.”
An institute manager who attended the meeting anonymously confirmed that dozens of directors were present. Another senior employee noted that institutes were given 10 days to complete final exams, although some directors were seeking clarification in the absence of written guidelines.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, girls have been barred from secondary and higher education, leaving health training institutes as one of the few remaining educational options for women. Afghanistan currently has over 150 private and 10 public health institutes offering diplomas in subjects such as midwifery, anaesthesia, and dentistry, with approximately 35,000 women enrolled.
One institute manager questioned, “What are we supposed to do with just 10 percent of our students?”
A midwifery teacher at a private institute in Kabul received a message from her management instructing her not to return to work until further notice. “This is a big shock for us. Psychologically, we are shaken,” she said. “This was the only source of hope for the girls and women who were banned from universities.”
International figures have expressed alarm over the ban. A British official called the decision “another affront to women’s right to education” and warned it would “further restrict access to healthcare for Afghan women and children.”
Broader Restrictions on Women’s Rights
This decision follows a series of restrictive measures imposed by the Taliban since 2021. Previous decrees include:
- Banning girls from attending secondary school
- Restricting women’s access to work and education
- Mandating full-body coverings, including face veils, in public
- Limiting women’s ability to pray aloud, citing claims that a woman’s voice is “awrah” (something that must be concealed)
The Taliban’s policies have led to increased rates of child, early, and forced marriages, further compounding the challenges faced by Afghan women, according to Amnesty International.
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