KABUL: Five years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, students say strict religious controls are hollowing out the country’s universities, with inexperienced teachers and a climate of fear that has weakened the purpose of higher education.
According to students interviewed by The Guardian, male students are now under pressure to grow beards, wear traditional Afghan clothes, attend mandatory religious lectures and pray publicly. Some students said classmates had been beaten for minor violations, including wearing trousers.
One Kabul University student said appearance is now judged before academic ability. “If your appearance is wrong, you are already in trouble before the class begins,” he said.
Students also said compulsory lectures on obedience and conduct often replace regular academic classes. For many, university now feels less like a place of learning and more like an institution of discipline.
The crisis has deepened after women were banned from universities and many qualified lecturers left the country, stopped teaching or were replaced. Students said some departments are now being taught by recent graduates or underqualified instructors who struggle to explain lessons.
Journalism students described the situation as especially bleak, saying they are studying a profession that has been severely restricted under Taliban rule. Many independent media outlets have closed, and students say they increasingly question whether their degrees will lead to any real future.
UNESCO figures show Afghanistan’s higher education sector has sharply declined, with female enrolment falling to zero by 2024 and male enrolment also dropping significantly.
Students said the loss of debate, questioning and career hope has pushed many young Afghans to lose faith in education.
