Afghan men walk out of classes to support women banned from colleges: Report

Afghanistan: Around 60 professors working across universities resigned from their roles following the Taliban's diktat.

Several men walked out of classrooms in Afghanistan in protest against the Taliban's measure to not allow women students in educational institutions. Many professors in Afghanistan’s universities also walked out in support of women. Earlier, Taliban’s education minister defended the regime’s decision to stop women from studying in colleges and universities, saying,

Afghanistan: Afghan women students stand outside the Kabul University. (AP)

“We told girls to have proper hijab but they didn’t and they wore dresses like they are going to a wedding ceremony."

“Girls were studying agriculture and engineering, but this didn’t match Afghan culture. Girls should learn, but not in areas that go against Islam and Afghan honour," education minister Nida Mohammad Nadim added saying that the move was “necessary” to stop the mixing of genders in universities still being run under the regime.

Around 60 professors working across universities resigned from their roles following the Taliban's diktat, Independent reported adding that several male students in these colleges walked out in solidarity with their female counterparts.

“Such manoeuvres [by the Taliban] hurt me a lot as an associate professor of the university who spent more than 10 years in the higher education sector as a student and lecturer. Resignation from my post was the last option that I had at my disposal,” Obaidullah Wardak, a former faculty member at Kabul university said as per Independent.

“Their soldiers walk around the universities and do not allow people to gather there so that protests and reactions are prevented. They even arrested some of the female women’s rights activists for a short time for not protesting,” he further said.