WOMEN in Afghanistan can continue to study in universities, including at post-graduate levels, but classrooms will be gender-segregated and Islamic dress is compulsory, the Taliban government’s new higher education minister said Sunday. Earlier Sunday, the higher education minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, laid out the new policies at a news conference. The world has been watching closely to see to what extent the Taliban might act differently from their first time in power, in the late 1990s. During that era, girls and women were denied an education, and were excluded from public life. The Taliban have suggested they have changed, including in their attitudes toward women. However, women have been banned from sports and the Taliban have used violence in recent days against female protesters demanding equal rights. Female university students will face restrictions, including a compulsory dress code. Haqqani said hijabs will be mandatory. Gender segregation will also be enforced, he said. “We will not allow boys and girls to study together,” he said. “We will not allow co-education.” Haqqani said the subjects being taught would also be reviewed. Before the Taliban takeover. Universities were co-ed, with men and women studying side by side, and female students did not have to abide by a dress code. However, the vast majority of female university students opted to wear headscarves in line with tradition. (SD-Agencies) | 