Afghanistan: US Envoy calls Taliban year-long university ban for girls "indefensible"

Kabul [Afghanistan], December 21 : The US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West called the Taliban regime's ban on women attending universities as "indefensible" after marking one year since the ban was imposed, Khaama Press reported.
He stated that the US prioritizes women's access to education for the future of Afghanistan and its own interests.
West wrote on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that all Afghans he has spoken to "are aware that Afghanistan needs a generation of female doctors, engineers, business leaders, and educators for progress and self-reliance".
The Taliban's Ministry of Higher Education announced on December 20 last year that education for girls at universities is suspended 'until further notice', Khaama Press reported.
In the past 12 months, despite protests from women within the country and global requests, the Taliban have done nothing to reopen universities to girls and, on the contrary, have imposed new restrictions on the social lives of women.
According to UNESCO, there has been a significant fluctuation in the number of female university students in Afghanistan over the past two decades. In 2001, the number of female students enrolled in universities was around five thousand. This figure saw a substantial increase over the years, reaching nearly one hundred thousand by 2021.
However, in a stark reversal, the number dramatically plummeted to zero by 2023. This drastic decline highlights the severe impact of the recent educational restrictions and bans imposed on female students in the country.
In a report, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) noted that the deprivation of education has led to girls facing early and forced marriages.
On the first anniversary of their educational deprivation, girls are again requesting the Taliban administration to reopen university gates for them, Khaama Press reported.