Afghanistan International: The Taliban have confirmed that hundreds of books have been banned and removed from libraries and bookstores across Afghanistan over the past three years. In addition to suppressing independent publications, the Taliban have also banned several university textbooks, further restricting academic freedom and access to diverse sources of knowledge within higher education institutions.
8am: Many students across various schools in Afghanistan have expressed concern over the mounting pressure from the Taliban to wear white shalwar kameez and turbans (lungi). According to these students, those who cannot afford such attire face harsh treatment, are sometimes beaten by teachers, marked as absent, or even barred from entering school. Many students
By Malali Bashir Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty March 27, 2025 The new school year started in Afghanistan on March 22, but for the fourth consecutive year, millions of teenage girls were barred from attending classes. Among them was Khalida, who was in the ninth grade when the Taliban seized power and banned education for girls above
8am: With the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan, students’ interest in continuing their education under the rule of this group has significantly declined. Sources from public universities confirm that around 50% of students have dropped out. According to these sources, even science-related disciplines have faced more than a 50% dropout rate. One informed source states
Amu: The Afghanistan Human Rights Center has reported an unprecedented surge in the construction of jihadi madrassas under Taliban rule. The 30-page report highlights how these institutions have become a tool for power consolidation among Taliban leaders and warns of their potentially harmful impact on the mindset and future of the country’s younger generation. According
Amu: The Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has announced plans to award bachelor’s degrees to 11,000 madrasa students and master’s degrees to 15,000 clerics. The ministry stated that examinations for granting these degrees will be held across 31 provinces. However, many citizens and experts have criticized the move as an injustice to Afghanistan’s educational system,
Afghanistan International: Rahmatullah Jaber, the Taliban’s education chief in Herat, announced in a letter that girls’ education above the sixth grade in private education centres is prohibited. The Taliban official said that girls’ education above the sixth grade is prohibited by Mullah Hibatullah’s decree until “further notice”. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: Students and professors report that the Taliban are systematically turning universities into madrasas. Alongside dismissing professors, they are altering curricula, engaging in ideological confrontations, and prioritizing clerics over qualified educators. These practices, coupled with a lack of legal structure and clerical dominance, have driven many professors to leave universities. Click here to read more
As the academic year ends in Afghanistan, students are saying goodbye to their teachers and classmates. But for girls as young as 11, it’s the end of their education altogether, due to the Taliban’s prohibition on girls studying after the sixth grade. One top student, whose identity has been concealed for her safety, told RFE/RL’s
8am: An audio recording of a speech by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, has been obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, in which he issued an order to close all schools, including both girls’ and boys’ schools, in Afghanistan. In the speech, Akhundzada compares the concept of school with that of a madrassa, stating