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kabul [Afghanistan]Dec 22 (ANI): Afghan women are barred from university for “not following the dress code”, the Taliban-appointed education minister said on Thursday, sparking a global backlash.
According to TOLO News, Taliban minister Neda Mohammad Nadim cited the continued co-education and the indiscretion of students to wear the hijab as one of the reasons for banning Afghan women from universities.
“The presence of women in dormitories from provinces that have no male companions, students who do not pay attention to wearing hijab, continue to coeducation, and the existence of some girls’ schools, which is contrary to Sharia law and the pride of Afghans,” Nadi was quoted by TOLO News Mu said on Radio Afghanistan (RTA).
He added that “some of the reforms planned by the Islamic Emirate have not been implemented in the higher education sector.”
On Wednesday, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan joined millions of Afghans and the international community in outrage over the Taliban’s decision to close colleges for female students across the country until further notice and called on de facto authorities to immediately reverse the decision.
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are also urging the de facto authorities to reopen girls’ schools beyond grade six and to end all measures that prevent women and girls from fully participating in daily public life,” the UN mission said in a statement. The Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.
“The ban on women attending university is a continuation of the Taliban’s systemic policy of discrimination against women,” the UNAMA statement read.
Effective August 15, 2021, de facto authorities bar girls from secondary school, limit women’s and girls’ freedom of movement, exclude women from most of the workforce, and bar women from using parks, gyms, and public bathrooms. These restrictions culminated in the confinement of Afghan women and girls within the four walls of their homes.
The UN mission believes that preventing half the population from contributing meaningfully to society and the economy would be devastating for the entire country. “This will expose Afghanistan to further international isolation, economic hardship and suffering, and affect millions of people for years to come,” the statement said.
The United Nations estimates that restricting women’s work could cost the economy as much as $1 billion — or as much as 5 percent of the country’s GDP. Barring women from universities, including female teachers and professors, would cause additional economic damage.
The UN delegation stated that the exclusion of women and girls from secondary and tertiary education not only deprives them of this right, but also deprives Afghan society as a whole of the opportunity to benefit from the contribution women and girls have to make. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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