KABUL (SW) – Academic staff in various public and private universities have tendered mass resignations in protest against ban imposed on girls by the Islamic Emirate’s higher education minister Nida Mohammad Nadeem.
According to the data collected from various professors’ social media accounts, until the time of writing this report, nearly 50 professors from different universities of the country have resigned from their jobs. They have termed banning girls from education, especially higher education, as institutional discrimination against women.
Obeidullah Wardak, a professor at Kabul University, was the first professor to resign yesterday in response to preventing female students from continuing their studies. He, who has been teaching at the Faculty of Mathematics of Kabul University for 10 years, said: “Before, there were many problems in the field of higher education, but this was the last decision that unfortunately we could not continue with our duty in this way and with this system.”
Zakaria Shenizi, Sikander Zadran, Nasir Ahmad Soltani and Abdul Hadi Esadi are professors of the Polytechnic University who have resigned from their jobs in response to the prohibition of female students continuing their education.
Abdul Reza Zasin, a professor at Paktia University’s Faculty of Agriculture, who shared his resignation letter on his Facebook, said that working in such an environment is ‘treason’.
On the other hand, Mohammad Asef Stanekzai, a professor at Jahan Private University in Kabul, who has been teaching in the Department of Administration and Commerce for the past five years, told Salam Watandar that he will refuse to continue teaching until the restriction on girls’ education is lifted.
In the same way, Obaidullah Saeedi, a professor at Laghman University’s Faculty of Agriculture and Zahir Shah Safari, a professor at Helmand University’s Faculty of Agriculture, also announced their resignations and requested permission for female students to continue their studies.
Zahirshah Safari told Salam Watandar: “As you are witnessing, the pressures and restrictions on professors and students are increasing day by day, and for this reason, I am resigning and I do not want to continue working in such an environment.”
Safiullah Samoon, a professor at Kandahar University’s School of Economics and Mohammad Omar Kunduzai, a professor at Kunduz University’s School of Economics, have also resigned from jobs in response to the Ministry of Higher Education banning female students from studying. These professors, each of whom has nearly 10 years of teaching experience, say that they have resigned to join the struggle for girls’ right to education.
Meanwhile, Amir Arslan Khorasanpour, a professor at the Faculty of Journalism at Fanous Institute of Higher Education in Kabul, said: “This is a decision that paralyzes half of the society. I was completely disappointed with this performance, and the pain in our throats was not explained at all.”
Nazir Ahmad Razaqi, who has been teaching international relations at different universities in Kabul for several years, while confirming his resignation, told Salam Watandar: “Mostly in the classes I taught, girls were very motivated to study and more girls got high grades. And they were toppers, but unfortunately, after the recent developments, the restrictions started until they were banned from going to the classroom, the interest and love for education among the girls was decreasing day by day”.
Waliullah Shafaq, a professor at Takhar University, is also one of the other professors who has joined the caravan of professors who resigned in protest against the exclusion of girls from education. He told Salam Watandar: “My proposal and the people of Afghanistan’s demand is to end this challenge as soon as possible and open the gates of schools and universities to girls.”
In the same way, Javed Momand, professor at Jahan Private University in Kabul, Faizul Rahman Ishaqzai, professor of physics at Kabul University, Ishaq Shahbaz, professor at private universities in Kabul, Naser Sadat, professor at Jahan Private University, Mujibul Rahman Ahmadzai, professor at Kabul University, Rashad Jamalyar , Vice-Chancellor of Balkh University, Ferdous Pirzad, a professor at Balkh University’s School of Journalism, Nasir Ahmad, a professor at Taj Private University in Balkh, are among the professors whose resignations have become public in protest of closing the gates of universities to girls.
ENDS
