KABUL (SW) – Teachers and students fear the array of restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Higher Education will lead to academic catastrophe in the country.
In addition to the already existing restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Higher Education of the Islamic Emirate on students in the country’s universities, a number of students are now faced with new restrictions. The students say that these continuing restrictions on education will lead to an ‘educational catastrophe’ in Afghanistan.
Milad Najib, a student at Kabul University, said that the professors are also under pressure and are even being pursued by the intelligence forces of the Islamic Emirate. He emphasized that the pressure on teachers has led the students to spend more hours without a teacher.
On the other hand, not allowing students and university professors to speak to the media is another challenge in the higher education sector. A number of Al-Biruni University students say university officials have told them that students have no right to speak to the media.
“There was an announcement in the teaching department of our university, we were told so much that we just ask you not to talk to the media,” Nematullah, a student at Al-Biruni University, told Salam Watandar.
On the other hand, the lack of freedom of thought is another challenge that has worried the professors and students of the country’s universities about the future of higher education.
A professor at the Balkh University, who declined to be named in the report because he was not allowed to speak to the media, said there was no freedom of thought at the university. According to him, the teachers can not express their civil demands to the officials of the Islamic Emirate.
The growing economic disparities are adding to the woes.
One of the public university professors, who also declined to be named in the report because he was not allowed to speak to the media, said that the head of the Ministry of Higher Education has said in a meeting with professors last Sunday not to talk about salaries because, according to the acting minister, professors have been paid ‘a lot’ in the past.
Restrictions on higher education also include on students’ clothing. In addition to imposing hijab on girls, boys are demanded to enter universities in traditional clothes and wear a beard.
A number of Badakhshan University students told Salam Watandar that the Islamic Emirate officials had told male students to come to the university in traditional clothes and with beards.
It is worth mentioning that with the rule of the Islamic Emirate in the country, the academic community of Afghanistan has been faced with more more restrictions.
According to previous reports by Salam Watandar, girls are not allowed to use smartphones in the universities. Earlier, female students had said that this restriction would prevent them from accessing new science and technology sites for access to knowledge.
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