It’s a tenuous symbol, but a symbol nonetheless. On Wednesday morning, February 2, public universities were able to reopen in six provinces of Afghanistan, for the first time since the fall of Kabul and the return of the Taliban to power almost six months ago. A few dozen female students were therefore authorized to come to the faculties. So far, only private higher schools – around a hundred – have been able to resume classes gradually since September.
However, the conditions for women’s access to universities are strict. They are separated from men. The women have lessons in the morning and the men in the afternoon because the Taliban consider that “the co-education of men and women is not in accordance with Islamic law”. In addition, they must wear the burqa or the niqab to go to class and the entrance to the universities is guarded by armed men. We are far from a real recovery of womens rights.
While universities in the south and east of the country, particularly in the large cities of Jalalabad and Kandahar, have been able to resume their classes, this is only a small part of this country which has 38 million inhabitants and more than 30 provinces. The reopening in the other regions, in particular in Kabul, is theoretically scheduled for the end of February. In addition, most secondary schools for girls remain closed. Access to justice remains almost impossible for women, female personnel have virtually disappeared from public employment and women are not allowed to travel. Progress therefore remains slim.
This is nevertheless a slight progress and there is undoubtedly a link with the diplomatic negotiations undertaken with the Taliban, since this reopening occurs shortly after the discussions in Oslo in Norway at the end of January. A Taliban delegation met with Western, Norwegian, French, British and American diplomats. One of the priority demands of Western chancelleries was to guarantee girls’ and women’s access to education. The Taliban claim to be open to the idea, unlike what happened when they first came to power more than 20 years ago.
Above all, they need to appease their interlocutors and make concessions, in the hope, in exchange, of obtaining the release of international aid and the country’s financial reserves, nearly 10 billion in assets frozen in accounts at the ‘foreigner. Given the catastrophic economic state of Afghanistan, the Taliban regime has an imperative need to recover these funds. He also hopes to eventually obtain international legal recognition.