The Taliban have announced that women in Afghanistan will only be allowed to study at university in gender-segregated classrooms and must wear Islamic dress, raising fears of a gender apartheid. The new rules were outlined by higher education minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani, who said co-education would be banned and female students must be taught by women. The subjects being taught will also be reviewed.
Haqqani insisted the Taliban did not want to turn the clock back 20 years, but the policies mark a significant departure from the previous system where universities were co-educational and women had no dress code. Since the Taliban took power, many female students have stayed home out of fear, and women protesting for equal rights have faced violence.
The international community is closely watching the Taliban's treatment of women to gauge their commitment to moderation. The new cabinet includes no women, and women have been banned from sports. Taliban spokesman Sayed Zekrullah Hashimi recently said women's role is to give birth and raise children, adding that it is not necessary for women to be in the cabinet.
