Kabul: In a major blow to women's education in Afghanistan, the Taliban has barred female students from pursuing nursing and midwifery courses, following a directive from their supreme leader. The move affects over 35000 women who are enrolled in health institutes. A health ministry official said the ban would exacerbate the challenges already faced by the country's struggling healthcare system. “We are already short of professional medical and para-medical staff, which would result in further shortages,” a source told AFP news agency.
While no formal announcement has been made, two officials from the Ministry of Health confirmed the ban to BBC Afghan unofficially. Videos shared with the BBC showed trainees at some institutes weeping over the news. This week, health officials held a meeting in Kabul with heads of educational institutions to communicate the directive, an unnamed public health ministry official told AFP.
"There is no official letter, but the directors of institutes were informed in a meeting that women and girls can't study anymore in their institutes," the official said. "They were not provided with any details and justification and were just told of the order of the supreme leader and were asked to implement it."
Afghanistan has approximately 10 public and over 150 private health institutes offering two-year diplomas in 18 subjects such as midwifery, anesthesia, pharmacy, and dentistry, with 35,000 women currently enrolled, according to health ministry data. Following the Taliban's return to power in 2021, authorities barred girls from secondary and higher education, drawing international condemnation and accusations of "gender apartheid" from the United Nations.
