'I do not need these...' Afghan professor tears diplomas on TV against Taliban diktats on women's education
By Vipin Vijayan | First Published Dec 28, 2022, 10:36 AM ISTA video clip of the debate show on the Afghan channel Tolo News was shared by Shabnam Nasimi, former policy advisor to the Minister for Afghan Resettlement & Minister for Refugees, that showed the University professor holding up his diplomas and then tearing them up one by one.
The Taliban diktat barring Afghan girls from university education has drawn intense criticism worldwide and triggered protests. In an expression of anguish rarely seen on television, a Kabul University professor tore up his diplomas during a live talk show to protest the Taliban order.
A video clip of the debate show on the Afghan channel Tolo News was shared by Shabnam Nasimi, former policy advisor to the Minister for Afghan Resettlement & Minister for Refugees, that showed the University professor holding up his diplomas and then tearing them up one by one.
Astonishing scenes as a Kabul university professor destroys his diplomas on live TV in Afghanistan —
“From today I don’t need these diplomas anymore because this country is no place for an education. If my sister & my mother can’t study, then I DON’T accept this education.” pic.twitter.com/cTZrpmAuL6
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In the clip, the professor is heard saying: 'I do not need these (certificates) anymore because there is no place for education in this country. If my sister and mother cannot study, then I cannot accept this education.'
The clip has since gone viral, with many hailing the courageous act of the professor to stand up for women's education.
To recall, Taliban Minister for Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem issued a letter to all government and private universities last week, directing them to "immediately implement" the order to suspend education for females until further notice. The order came as a follow-up to sweeping changes brought by the Taliban to university rules. These included only female professors teaching girls and gender-segregated classrooms and entrances in the university.
The diktat met with resistance. According to local media reports, around 20 university professors have registered their protest against the decision and sought a rollback in an open letter to the Taliban. Some have even resigned, opposing the 'brutal clampdown on girls' education'.
One such professor took to Twitter to announce his decision to quit, stating: 'I do not wish to continue working somewhere where there is an organized discrimination against innocent and talented girls of this country by those in power.'
However, the Taliban Higher Education Minister has denied there being any opposition to its new policies. He told local media that the Taliban does not intend to oppose the new generation's education but wants to develop a system based on Afghanistan's values and the Islamic Sharia law.
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