<p>Afghan women will be allowed to study at university but there would be a ban on mixed classes under their rule, the Taliban's acting higher education minister said on Sunday.</p>.<p>The hardline Islamist group that stormed to power in mid-August after ousting the Western-back government have vowed to rule differently compared to their 1990s stint when girls and women were banned from education.</p>.<p>"The... people of Afghanistan will continue their higher education in the light of Sharia law in safety without being in a mixed male and female environment," Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the Taliban's acting minister for higher education said at a meeting with elders, known as a loya jirga, on Sunday.</p>.<p>He said the Taliban want to "create a reasonable and Islamic curriculum that is in line with our Islamic, national and historical values and, on the other hand, be able to compete with other countries".</p>.<p>Girls and boys will also be segregated at primary and secondary schools, which was already common throughout deeply conservative Afghanistan.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/us-airstrike-hits-suicide-bomber-targeting-airport-taliban-1024881.html" target="_blank">US airstrike hits suicide bomber targeting airport: Taliban</a></strong></p>.<p>The group have pledged to respect progress made in women's rights, but only according to their strict interpretation of Islamic law.</p>.<p>Whether women can work, get education at all levels and be able to mix with men have been some of the most pressing questions.</p>.<p>But the Taliban rebranding is being treated with scepticism, with many questioning whether the group will stick to its pledges.</p>.<p>No women were present at the meeting in Kabul on Sunday, which included other senior Taliban officials.</p>.<p>"The Taliban's ministry of higher education consulted only male teachers and students on resuming the function of universities," said a lecturer, who worked at a city university during the last government.</p>.<p>She said that showed "the systematic prevention of women's participation in decision making" and "a gap between the Taliban's commitments and actions".</p>.<p>University admission rates have risen over the past 20 years, particularly among women who have studied side by side with men and attended seminars with male professors.</p>.<p>But a spate of attacks on education centres in recent months, killing dozens, had caused panic.</p>.<p>The Taliban denied being behind the attacks, some of which were claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group.</p>.<p>During their previous brutal rule, the Taliban excluded women from public life, entertainment was banned and brutal punishments were imposed -- such as stoning to death for adultery.</p>.<p>The Taliban have yet to announce their government, saying they would wait until after the departure of US and foreign forces.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
<p>Afghan women will be allowed to study at university but there would be a ban on mixed classes under their rule, the Taliban's acting higher education minister said on Sunday.</p>.<p>The hardline Islamist group that stormed to power in mid-August after ousting the Western-back government have vowed to rule differently compared to their 1990s stint when girls and women were banned from education.</p>.<p>"The... people of Afghanistan will continue their higher education in the light of Sharia law in safety without being in a mixed male and female environment," Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the Taliban's acting minister for higher education said at a meeting with elders, known as a loya jirga, on Sunday.</p>.<p>He said the Taliban want to "create a reasonable and Islamic curriculum that is in line with our Islamic, national and historical values and, on the other hand, be able to compete with other countries".</p>.<p>Girls and boys will also be segregated at primary and secondary schools, which was already common throughout deeply conservative Afghanistan.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/us-airstrike-hits-suicide-bomber-targeting-airport-taliban-1024881.html" target="_blank">US airstrike hits suicide bomber targeting airport: Taliban</a></strong></p>.<p>The group have pledged to respect progress made in women's rights, but only according to their strict interpretation of Islamic law.</p>.<p>Whether women can work, get education at all levels and be able to mix with men have been some of the most pressing questions.</p>.<p>But the Taliban rebranding is being treated with scepticism, with many questioning whether the group will stick to its pledges.</p>.<p>No women were present at the meeting in Kabul on Sunday, which included other senior Taliban officials.</p>.<p>"The Taliban's ministry of higher education consulted only male teachers and students on resuming the function of universities," said a lecturer, who worked at a city university during the last government.</p>.<p>She said that showed "the systematic prevention of women's participation in decision making" and "a gap between the Taliban's commitments and actions".</p>.<p>University admission rates have risen over the past 20 years, particularly among women who have studied side by side with men and attended seminars with male professors.</p>.<p>But a spate of attacks on education centres in recent months, killing dozens, had caused panic.</p>.<p>The Taliban denied being behind the attacks, some of which were claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group.</p>.<p>During their previous brutal rule, the Taliban excluded women from public life, entertainment was banned and brutal punishments were imposed -- such as stoning to death for adultery.</p>.<p>The Taliban have yet to announce their government, saying they would wait until after the departure of US and foreign forces.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>