The Taliban’s higher education minister, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, has issued sweeping new restrictions on universities, including a ban on smartphones, an order to remove images of living beings from classrooms and a requirement that staff wear turbans, according to internal documents obtained by Amu.
The directives, signed by Nadeem, were outlined in a 10-page order containing 50 rules.
The documents show that universities will also fall under the oversight of the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which has been accused internationally of human rights abuses, particularly against women and girls.
“Remove all un-Islamic elements, images of living beings and incorrect signs from your environment and bring about the necessary reforms,” one letter stated. Another instructed, “All employees must try to wear turbans. Directors and officials should encourage their staff to do the same.”
The rules prohibit professors, students and some lower-ranking staff from carrying or using smartphones on campus. Lower-level administrative employees are barred from bringing phones to their workplaces, while mid-ranking professors are instructed to limit their use.
A source in the Taliban Ministry of Higher Education said the new measures come on top of earlier restrictions, including banning women and girls from education, removing certain subjects and books and altering curricula.
Academics say the latest orders further tighten Taliban control over universities, leaving little room for academic freedom and adding pressure on both faculty and students.
