Kabul University Holds Graduation Ceremony for Male Students as Girls Remain Barred from Higher Education

Kabul University, under the control of the Taliban, held a graduation ceremony for about 2,500 male students on Friday, the one-year anniversary of the Taliban’s ban on girls’ access to higher education.Osama Azizi, the Taliban-appointed president of Kabul University, called the graduation of the male students a “great achievement.”The ceremony was held in the university’s auditorium and was attended by several senior Taliban officials, including Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, Defense Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, and Higher Education Minister Nematullah Nadri.In his speech, Nadri said the Taliban is committed to developing and advancing education in the country.Nadri added that while foreigners have made proposals for the country’s progress in various fields, “they really do not want Afghanistan to progress.”Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, called educated and specialized people an important asset for the formation and stability of the Taliban regime.The Taliban’s ban on girls’ access to higher education has been widely criticized by the international community. The United Nations has called the ban a “grave violation of human rights.”The Taliban has said that it will eventually allow girls to return to school, but it has not given a timeline for doing so.