Afghanistan: Students, lecturers slam Taliban decree to prohibit co-education in varsities

Kabul [Afghanistan], April 25 : Taliban's decision to prohibit co-education by segregating weekdays for male and female university students at two institutes in Kabul is facing widespread criticism from the students and lecturers, reported local media.
"The interference of the government in educational institutions should be positive. The government should provide new faculties and new educational opportunities instead of negative interference," ToloNews quoted Mahdi Arefi, a university lecturer, as saying.
In line with the Taliban's decision, a new schedule was announced for varsities, which faced harsh criticism from students who said the new plan will be a hindrance in securing enough credits for their classes.
In a bid to prohibit co-education, the Taliban Ministry of Higher Education announced the allocation of specific days in a week for male and female students of Kabul University and Kabul Polytechnic University.
According to the new schedule, three days will be assigned for the female students of the universities where no males will be allowed. Similarly, the other three days will be appointed solely to the male students where no presence of a girl is permitted.
However, the new timetable has raised concern among students who said they are unable to complete eight educational credits with the new schedule, reported the media outlet.
"We used to study three subjects or credits in one day but now we must study six credits. To study six credits in one day, it needs more time and efforts, which is out of the capacity of a student," said Mohammad Rameen, a student.
While the decision was also condemned by social media users in the country, some students said that the move will cause them economic problems.
"The condition is different. A student should work to earn money and study at the same time. As the timetable is now from morning to evening, so it will not allow us to work," the media outlet quoted Mohammad Mansour, a student, as saying.
Meanwhile, the new plan has also resulted in a reduction in the number of students and lecturers at the universities, the media outlet reported citing some students.
"We came here today. Unfortunately, the number of students and instructors has decreased. When I went to university, there were no classes," said Ahmad Zaki, a student.
Notably, after seizing control of Afghanistan, the Taliban had prohibited co-education in universities, separating morning classes for girls and afternoon classes for boys. Recently, the group also banned secondary education for female students. Although this decision has been withdrawn, the schools are yet to be reopened.