An online university for women says it has provided higher education opportunities to more than 17,000 Afghan girls over the past three years after they were barred from attending universities under Taliban rule.
The Women Online University said it marked its third anniversary this week in separate events attended by hundreds of students.
University officials said the platform was established on Dec. 22, 2022, about a week after the Taliban imposed restrictions on women’s access to higher education. Teaching is carried out by hundreds of volunteer lecturers, they said.
According to the university, courses are offered in 16 fields of study and two cohorts of students have graduated so far. The institution has also set up a psychological counselling clinic for students and said some graduates have entered the job market.
The university said it has signed memorandums of understanding with international academic institutions and has submitted a petition to the European Parliament seeking recognition of online education, supported by collective student requests.
Officials also said the university regularly organises webinars and online awareness programmes.
The Taliban have kept universities closed to women for more than three years, effectively cutting off millions of Afghan girls from higher education and drawing widespread international criticism.
SOURCE: Amu tv
