KABUL: Senior employees of several institutions offering nursing and midwifery courses in Afghanistan said on Tuesday that women would be barred from classes following an order by the Taliban’s supreme leader.
Health officials met with directors of educational institutions in the capital, Kabul, on Monday to inform them of the decision.
He said there was no official letter but the directors of the institutions were told in a meeting that women and girls could no longer study in their institutions.
“They were not provided with any details and justification and were only told about the Supreme Leader’s order and asked to implement it.”
An institute manager who attended the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said dozens of managers were present.
A senior employee at another center told AFP his boss was in a separate meeting with health officials on Tuesday after confusion over the rule.
The employee said that the institutes were given 10 days time for the final exams.
Some managers appealed to the ministry for clarification, while others continued to work as usual in the absence of a written order. “What are we supposed to do with only 10 percent of our students?” said a manager.