Afghan Women's Education Hopes Dashed as Taliban Cuts Internet Access

Fri Oct 10 2025 19:33:04 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Following the indefinite internet shutdown imposed by the Taliban, Afghan women and students face heightened despair, losing their last avenue for education and connection to the outside world.

The Taliban's recent decision to impose a nationwide internet shutdown has left Afghan women and students like Fahima Noori and Shakiba feeling hopeless. With educational restrictions already crippling their opportunities, the internet was their last lifeline for learning and staying informed. As schools for girls have closed and women are banned from many educational programs, students are now left in despair, voicing fears about their uncertain futures without access to online learning.

Fahima Noori had big dreams when she graduated from university in Afghanistan. She had studied law, graduated from a midwifery programme and even worked in a mental health clinic. However, all that was taken away when the Taliban swept into power in 2021. They banned girls over the age of 12 from getting an education, severely restricted job options for women, and recently removed books written by women from universities.

For Fahima, the internet was her last lifeline to the outside world. I recently enrolled in an online university and had hoped to finish my studies and find an online job, she said. Unfortunately, that lifeline was cut off on Tuesday when the Taliban imposed a nationwide internet shutdown that is set to last indefinitely. Our last hope was online learning. Now [even] that dream has been destroyed, she lamented.

Over recent weeks, the Taliban began cutting fibre-optic internet connections across several provinces under the pretext of preventing immorality. Many feared this move foreshadowed a complete internet blackout, and unfortunately, their fears were realized. The country is now experiencing what is referred to as a total internet blackout, impacting essential services and communication. International news agencies are reporting they have lost contact with their offices in Kabul, and mobile internet services and satellite TV have also been severely disrupted.

Shakiba, who lives in the northern province of Takhar, said, Before this, I studied midwifery, but unfortunately that programme was banned for women... The only hope left for us was the internet and online learning. When I heard that the internet had been cut, the world felt dark to me. With the internet gone, she and many other young women feel helpless. We all sit at home doing nothing, lamented another student.

Once vibrant online learning opportunities are now extinguished, as female teachers and students report similar sentiments. Zabi, an instructor who previously taught English classes online, described the heartbreak of having students miss crucial exams due to the shutdown. Between the financial constraints limiting access to costly mobile internet and the Taliban's ongoing restrictions, many are left in an educational void.

Challenging years lie ahead for Afghan women and students without the internet, as they grapple with a bleak reality where their educational aspirations are seemingly unreachable.