Amu: The Taliban’s higher education minister, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, has issued sweeping new restrictions on universities, including a ban on smartphones, an order to remove images of living beings from classrooms and a requirement that staff wear turbans, according to internal documents obtained by Amu. The directives, signed by Nadeem, were outlined in a 10-page
Amu: Critics said the schools are being used to build a pipeline of future Taliban fighters. Some graduates have been directly recruited into Taliban ranks, while others — including teenagers — have reportedly been forced into military activities. Residents said many teachers are Taliban members, and movement around the schools is tightly monitored. Human rights
Afghanistan International: Thousands of Afghan schoolchildren and university students have been unable to attend online classes after the Taliban cut internet services in several provinces, sources said Tuesday. A female student told Afghanistan International that the shutdown had effectively closed the last remaining door to education for girls. “With the internet cut, the Taliban has
Khaama: Thousands of international students, including Afghans admitted to US universities, have been unable to begin their studies after new travel restrictions disrupted visa processing and entry into the country. The policy, introduced under President Donald Trump’s new security framework, has significantly tightened student visa procedures. Many Afghan students accepted by prestigious universities now face
By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal and Azmat Ali Shah September 13, 2025 Students at an Afghan refugee camp near Peshawar in northwest Pakistan are worried about what comes next for them if they are forcibly repatriated to Afghanistan. RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal met students at a school in the Khazana Refugee Camp on the outskirts of Peshawar.
8am: Local sources report that the Taliban have removed 51 subjects from school textbooks in Afghanistan, including topics on women’s rights and human rights. On Thursday, September 11, local sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban claimed the removed subjects were in contradiction with the values and principles of Islamic Sharia. According to
CNN: Imperfect though these religious institutions are, they are the only option for most Afghan girls over the age of 12 who want any education. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world that prohibits girls and women from getting general education at secondary and higher levels. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: The day Setara, a young woman in Badakhshan Province in northeastern Afghanistan, passed the university entrance exam was the day she believed her life would begin. Instead, it ended in a poppy field. Once dreaming of becoming a teacher, the young woman from Badakhshan, whose name has been changed in this story to protect
Ariana: The United Nations Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, has expressed deep concern over the country’s low literacy rates, stating that Afghanistan ranks among the nations with the highest levels of illiteracy globally. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Kabul Book Festival on Monday, Otunbayeva revealed that only 50% of Afghan men and
Afghanistan International: The Taliban have officially renamed the former American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) as the Afghan International Islamic University and announced plans to relocate and expand the institution in Kabul. Prior to the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the American University of Afghanistan was widely regarded as one of the country’s top academic