Afghanistan on Tuesday (December 20) suspended access to universities for female students until further notice, drawing strong condemnation from the United States, Britain and the United Nations, Reuters reports.
A spokesperson for the Taliban-run higher education ministry confirmed there was a letter instructing Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students immediately, in accordance with a Cabinet decision.
The announcement by the Taliban administration, which has not been internationally recognised, came as many university students were sitting end-of-term exams. One mother of a university student, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said her daughter called her in tears when she heard of the letter, fearing she could no longer continue her medical studies in Kabul.
Foreign governments, including the United States, have said that a change in policies on women's education is needed before it can consider formally recognising the Taliban-run administration, which is also subject to heavy sanctions.
