Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Tuesday announced it had suspended university education for all women, effective immediately. A spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education announced the ban, which follows a March order barring girls from returning to secondary school. “What news could be worse than this?” one female student asked NPR, explaining that her final exam to complete her arts degree had been scheduled for Wednesday. “I’ve been shaking with anger. I can’t even cry. The Taliban took our last hope from us.” A spokesperson for António Guterres, the United Nations’ secretary-general, condemned the decision in a statement, saying Guterres was “deeply alarmed” by the news. The response came as the UN Security Council met in New York to discuss Afghanistan and the Taliban, which the intergovernmental organization has not recognized. Referring to the Taliban as the “de facto authorities,” Guterres’ spokesman urged them “to ensure equal access to education for all women and girls.”
