RASC News Agency: Afghanistan’s universities are witnessing a further erosion of academic freedom as the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education issues sweeping new restrictions on faculty, staff, and students. According to a copy of the directive obtained by local media, the use of smartphones on university campuses is now strictly prohibited, and all “non-Islamic” visual content must be removed from classrooms and campus environments. University staff are also mandated to wear headscarves at all times, reinforcing the regime’s ideological control over education.
The directive explicitly states: “All university environments must be cleansed of non-Islamic practices and inappropriate imagery, and necessary reforms must be implemented.” Employees below the fourth rank are prohibited from using or carrying mobile phones during official hours, while faculty members are urged to minimize or entirely refrain from smartphone use. Oversight of compliance has been delegated to the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, reflecting the regime’s broader policy of enforcing strict moral supervision over educational institutions.
This latest order formalizes policies that were previously enforced verbally, such as the ban on smartphones at Herat University announced during a visit by Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadim. By codifying these measures nationwide, the Taliban are intensifying their authoritarian control over universities, further constraining intellectual freedom and imposing ideological conformity.
Educators warn that these restrictions are part of a larger pattern that has plagued Afghanistan’s higher education system since the Taliban’s return to power. Over the past four years, female students have been systematically barred from attending universities, certain textbooks have been removed, and curricula have been rewritten to conform to the Taliban’s narrow interpretation of Islamic law. The new regulations extend this pattern, limiting both the autonomy of faculty and the educational opportunities of students.
Observers note that the ban on smartphones and the enforced dress codes are more than administrative measures they are instruments of social control. By curtailing access to global knowledge, the Taliban isolate students from international academic networks, suppress critical thinking, and promote a climate of fear and self-censorship. These measures disproportionately affect female students and young scholars, effectively excluding them from meaningful participation in higher education and intellectual life.
Analysts warn that Afghanistan’s universities risk becoming centers of indoctrination rather than education. The Taliban’s systematic interference undermines not only academic freedom but also the country’s long-term prospects for social and economic development. Faculty morale is declining, students are increasingly disengaged, and the intellectual infrastructure of the nation is being dismantled under the guise of religious reform.
Ultimately, these directives exemplify the Taliban’s broader strategy to consolidate power through the manipulation of education and ideology. By controlling the flow of information, restricting modern technology, and enforcing rigid moral codes, the regime is actively suppressing critical thought, eroding societal trust, and ensuring that the next generation of Afghanistanis is raised under an authoritarian, highly controlled system.
The consequences of these policies are profound: Afghanistan’s higher education system is now a battlefield for ideological domination, where intellectual curiosity is punished, and the promise of independent thought is under siege. As the Taliban tighten their grip, the long-term cost to Afghanistani society particularly to women, youth, and educators will be severe, further isolating the country from global academic and social progress.
