Taliban revokes licenses of 11 educational institutions

The Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has announced the revocation of licenses for 11 private educational institutions across nine provinces in Afghanistan. The ministry also stated that the officials in charge of these institutions have been referred to judicial authorities for further action.

In a statement released on Wednesday, December 21, the ministry said the decision was made during a leadership council meeting chaired by Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the acting Minister of Higher Education.

According to the statement, the licenses were revoked due to alleged non-compliance with academic standards and failure to maintain proper administrative leadership and staffing in accordance with regulations. The ministry further accused these institutions of having "ghost teachers and students" on their rosters.

The affected institutions are located in the provinces of Balkh, Ghazni, Farah, Badghis, Takhar, Kunduz, Baghlan, and Herat, according to the ministry’s statement.

The ministry added that the heads and administrators of these educational institutions have been referred to legal and judicial authorities for investigation.

This move comes amid increasing restrictions on education under Taliban rule. Recently, the Taliban also announced a ban on women’s education in health-related institutions, sparking widespread international condemnation.