Female students studying midwifery and nursing have recently been pulled out of their classes in Afghanistan after the Taliban issued a new rule that has all but quashed the final avenue for Afghan women to gain an education.
Many learning institutions in the country have continued to confirm the discontinuance of such courses, some having their affected students post videos of their eviction online.
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These programs have been ceased at a time when the Taliban regime has created policies that limit the education of women and girls in Afghanistan – This after the Taliban regained power in August 2021.
In this current system of administration, girls have not been allowed to go to secondary school and university, and Asolumodest education and employment opportunities are available in midwifery and nursing.
Five different health institutes in Afghanistan told the BBC that women would not be able to attend their classes any longer. Online, videos captured students shedding tears and looking surprised at the news. ‘This will not solve anything…” A student is heard telling others inside the classroom, ‘Calm Down.’
The other video depicts women walking out of their institutions, silently protesting while singing in the corridors. This was our only hope after being banned in universities, said one midwifery teacher in Kabul.
Taliban’s health ministry described the situation during the meeting with the institute directors on Monday. An unsigned letter given to directors alerted them that female students could no longer attend their institutions, a health official disclosed on condition that he not be identified by name.
These instructions were given orally, without much reasoning, and the directors were instructed to follow this directive to be given by the supreme leader.
This suspension is particularly important in the context of Afghanistan where women have been denied education in midwifery and nursing. It severely needs skilled health manpower, particularly midwives, and the country can hardly cope with the existing shortage of medical personnel.
The United Nations claimed last year that Afghanistan required 18,000 more midwives to address the nation’s health care requirements. Add to this the fact that Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world.
According to the 2023 data from WHO, 620 infants died per 1000 live births in Afghanistan.
To Afghan women, nursing and midwifery had turned out to be one the few careers that one could pursue. Gender segregation has always been a Taliban policy where a male doctor cannot treat a female patient without their male companion, female education in these specializations is necessary.
A few months back the BBC was given a tour of a Taliban-operated midwives school which was already training women to deliver babies. At that special time, the students also show pride in their work; for example one of the trainees, Safia, said ‘My family feels so proud when they see me working’.
In any case, this ray of hope has now been obscured. Those women who were previously engaged in training are left jobless, and there is no indication as to whether the ban is going to be for a short while, or for good.
Some students reported that they received instructions to “wait until further notice” and nothing more for the reaction to their activity status. A student narrated that; ‘They said we should go out and did not allow us to stay in the courtyard because Taliban should arrive anytime’. “We were terrified.”
Other countries have responded with worries, although the UK charge d’affaires in Afghanistan said he is concerned about the decision. ‘This is yet another violation of women’s right to education and will severely limit health care for women and children in Afghanistan’, the official said in a tweet.
As a result of the shutdown of midwifery and nursing institutes, a large number of health officials and managers have approached the Taliban government for clarification.
Some attempted to give final lectures to students since the closure distorted the curriculum. However, the concerns arose that the situation could worsen even more and Afghanistan would lose even more women in the field of health care.
The shutting down of midwifery and nursing courses for women implies that the terrorism-impacted health crisis in Afghanistan will worsen considerably. In the case of women, it is another injustice to their ability to learn and acquire decent employment in their country.
FAQs
What does the ban entail?
The Taliban government has barred women from enrolling in midwifery and nursing programs, with directives delivered orally during a meeting with health institute leaders. Women were told to discontinue their studies immediately, affecting approximately 35,000 female students in Afghanistan’s health training programs.
Why is this decision significant?
The ban exacerbates Afghanistan’s critical healthcare crisis. The country faces severe shortages of medical professionals, including midwives, who are vital for reducing Afghanistan’s high maternal mortality rate (620 deaths per 100,000 live births). Given cultural restrictions that prevent male doctors from treating female patients without a male guardian present, this decision further limits women’s healthcare access.