TEHRAN – Iran has expressed regret about a recent decision by the Taliban-run administration in Afghanistan to close universities to female Afghan students, calling on the de facto government’s authorities to reverse the ban.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani made the remarks on Thursday, a day after female university students in Afghanistan were banned entry to campuses following a directive from the Taliban that women would be suspended from higher education across the country until further notice.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a neighbor of Afghanistan which is interested in peace, stability and development in the country, is saddened to hear the news obstacles to girls and women’s higher education in Afghanistan,” Kanaani said.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran hopes that the relevant authorities in Afghanistan will swiftly remove the obstacles and provide the ground for resuming the education of the country’s female pupils and students in all levels so that they can play a more effective role in the development and prosperity of Afghanistan while benefiting from the right to education,” he added.
On Thursday, dozens of female students staged a protest near Kabul University in the west of the capital, calling for women and girls’ access to education and work.
Students in Nangahar University in eastern Afghanistan also protested and male medical students walked out of exams in protest at their female classmates being excluded.
The de-facto Taliban government’s education minister said several issues had prompted the decision, including female students not wearing appropriate attire and interaction between students of different genders.