University classes resume in Afghanistan with a 'curtain of separation'
The Taliban said that female students should only be taught by other women, but if that was not possible then "old men" of good character could fill in
A local news agency in Afghanistan reported on Monday that university classes started in the country but with a "curtain of separation". A photo posted on Twitter by Aamaj News shows male and female students sitting in a class room with curtains between them.
This is a result of education policy outline given by the Taliban, now in power in Afghanistan, through their diktats. Taliban have said in many interviews that they have no issue with women education "but they should study with a hijab".
In a lengthy order issued on Saturday, the Taliban ordered women attending private Afghan universities to wear an abaya robe and niqab covering most of the face. They also said that classes must be segregated by sex - or at least divided by a curtain.
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The Taliban diktat said that female students should only be taught by other women, but if that was not possible then "old men" of good character could fill in.
Women must also end their lesson five minutes earlier than men to stop them from mingling outside, the Taliban order further said.
The decree, said Taliban, applies to private colleges and universities, which have mushroomed since their first rule ended in 2001.
During that period, girls and women were mostly excluded from education because of rules regarding same-sex classrooms and the insistence they had to be accompanied by a male relative whenever they left the house.
