Education
Afghan universities deserted as Taliban impose new rules
Universities in Kabul were almost empty on the first day of the Afghan school year, as professors and students wrestled with the Taliban’s restrictive new rules for the classroom.
The Taliban have promised a softer rule than during their first stint in power from 1996-2001, when women’s freedoms in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed and they were banned from higher education.
This time, the hardline Islamist group have said women will be allowed to go to private universities under the new regime, but they face tough restrictions on their clothing and movement.
Women can only attend class if they wear an abaya — a flowing robe — and a niqab — a face veil with a small window to see through — and are separated from men, the Taliban said.
“Our students don’t accept this and we will have to close the university,” said Noor Ali Rahmani, the director of Gharjistan University in Kabul, on an almost empty campus on Monday.
“Our students wear the hijab, not the niqab,” he added, referring to a headscarf.
The Taliban education authority issued a lengthy document on Sunday outlining their measures for the classroom, which also ruled that men and women should be segregated — or at least divided by a curtain if there are 15 students or less.
“We said we didn’t accept it because it will be difficult to do,” Rahmani told AFP.
“We also said that it is not real Islam, it is not what the Koran says.”
From now on at private colleges and universities, which have mushroomed since the Taliban’s first rule ended, women must only be taught by other women, or “old men”, and use a women-only entrance.
They must also end their lessons five minutes earlier than men to stop them from mingling outside.
So far, the Taliban has said nothing about public universities.
– ‘Let’s engage’ –
For some students, however, it was a relief that women would still be able to attend university at all under a new Taliban regime.
Zuhra Bahman, who runs a scholarship programme for women in Afghanistan, said on social media she had spoken to some of the students.
“They are happy to go back to university, albeit in hijab,” she said.
“Taliban opening universities for women is a key progress. Let’s continue to engage to agree on other rights and freedoms.”
Jalil Tadjlil, a spokesman for Ibn-e Sina University in the capital, said separate entrances had already been created for men and women.
“We didn’t have the authority to accept or reject the decisions that have been imposed,” he told AFP, blaming the “ongoing uncertainty” for the lack of students.
The university posted a picture online of male and female students separated by a curtain.
Images shared on Facebook by its department of economics and management showed six women wearing the hijab and ten male students with a grey curtain running between them, as a male teacher wrote on a whiteboard.
– ‘Everything changed’ –
Usually, campus corridors on the first day of the term would be packed with students catching up after the summer.
But on Monday, there was a strikingly low turnout at Kabul’s universities, leaving education leaders wondering just how many young, talented people have fled the country as part of the “brain drain”.
Rahmani said only 10 to 20 percent of the 1,000 students who enrolled last year came to Gharjistan University on Monday, although there were no classes scheduled.
He estimated up to 30 percent of the students left Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control in the middle of August.
“We have to see first if students come,” he said.
Reza Ramazan, a computer science teacher at the university said women students were particularly at risk when travelling to campus.
“It can be dangerous at checkpoints,” he said. “The Taliban can check their phones and computers.”
For 28-year-old computer science student Amir Hussein, “everything changed completely” after the Taliban takeover.
“Many students are not interested anymore in studying because they don’t know what their future will be,” he said.
“Most of them want to leave Afghanistan.”
The Federal Polytechnic Ayede, Oyo State, has announced that its 2024/2025 matriculation ceremony will take place on Thursday, 27th March 2025.
In a statement signed by the institution’s Protocols and Public Relations Officer, Mr Sunday Adepoju, on behalf of the Rector, Engr. Dr Taofeek Adekunle Abdul-Hameed, the event is scheduled to hold at the polytechnic’s temporary site in Iresa-Pupa, Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to the statement, the academic procession will commence at 9:00 a.m., followed by the main ceremony at 10:00 a.m.
Established in 2021 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Federal Polytechnic Ayede admitted its pioneer students in the 2022/2023 academic session. Initially, the institution commenced with four departments: Science Laboratory Technology, Computer Engineering Technology, Computer Science, and Statistics.
By the 2023/2024 academic session, the institution expanded its academic offerings with eight additional National Diploma (ND) programmes, increasing the total to 12. The newly introduced courses include Computer Engineering Technology, Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technology, Agricultural Technology, Science Laboratory Technology, Computer Science, Statistics, Tourism Management Technology, Estate Management and Valuation, Urban and Regional Planning, Accountancy, Business Administration and Management, and Public Administration.
These 12 ND programmes are structured under five academic schools, School of Agricultural Technology,School of Science and Technology, School of Engineering Technology, School of Environmental Technology and School of Management Sciences.
The institution also announced that the orientation programme for fresh students commenced on Tuesday, 25th March, and will continue on Wednesday, 26th March, at the Iresa-Pupa temporary site. The programme will feature addresses from distinguished scholars and professionals, providing guidance to the new students on academic and campus life.
Since its inception, Federal Polytechnic Ayede has recorded remarkable strides in academic excellence, infrastructural development, training and re-training, as well as sports and extracurricular activities.
The management of Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, has scheduled the 2024/2025 matriculation ceremony for Thursday, March 27, 2025.
According to a statement by the University Registrar, Mrs. Olubunmi Siju’ Asunmo, the event will commence at 10:00 a.m. at the University Board of Trustees (BOT) Large Lecture Theatre and will be presided over by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Olaniyan.
The matriculation lecture will be delivered by Prof. Olatunde O. Fawole, a former Rector of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, and former Chairman of the Committee of Provosts and Deans at LAUTECH, Ogbomoso.
The university has urged all stakeholders, including Senate members, management staff, deans, directors, heads of departments, service divisions, faculty officers, and students’ representatives, to be seated by 9:30 a.m. prompt for a smooth event.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that the sale of the 2025 Direct Entry (DE) forms will commence on Wednesday, March 12.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, on Monday. He emphasized that the registration process is essential for individuals with degrees, diplomas, or A-level certificates seeking admission into their preferred universities.
“The initiation of the DE sales follows the successful conclusion of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) application sales, which ended on Saturday, March 8, 2025,” the statement read.
According to JAMB, a total of 2,030,627 candidates registered for the 2025 UTME, with 200,115 participating in the Mock-UTME and 630 in the trial mock examination.
The board warned prospective Direct Entry applicants to ensure they meet all entry requirements, as any false declaration of qualifications would attract serious penalties.
“A special committee will verify all submitted advanced-level qualifications, and any fraudulent results will lead to prosecution. Additionally, institutions are encouraged to directly verify certificates before considering admissions,” the board stated.
JAMB also clarified that registration for the Direct Entry process can only be done at designated JAMB Professional Registration Centres (PRCs).
As the registration date approaches, candidates are advised to adhere to all guidelines and ensure that their credentials are properly verified to avoid disqualification.
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