Taliban's Internet Shutdown Dashes Hopes for Afghan Women Seeking Education

Tue Sep 30 2025 14:43:13 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Afghanistan's recent nationwide internet shutdown has obliterated the last remaining hope for many women to pursue education and work, as they lose access to online resources and opportunities.

Following a nationwide internet blackout imposed by the Taliban, Afghan women and girls are left without access to online education and resources. The ban on internet continues to exacerbate existing restrictions on educational opportunities, leaving many in despair. Students, like Fahima and Shakiba, express their devastated hopes for a future that now seems dark and uncertain.

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. But 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] I had hoped to finish my studies and find an online job, she said. On Tuesday, that lifeline was cut off 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, said Fahima.

Over the past few weeks, the Taliban government began severing fibre-optic internet connections across several provinces, claiming it was part of an effort to prevent immorality. And now, many anticipate a total internet blackout, increasingly being realized as international agencies report a total internet blackout across the country.

The loss of internet has impacted not only students but teachers like Zabi, who relied on online resources for conducting classes. Many students, including Shakiba from the northern province of Takhar, lamented the impact on their education: When I heard that the internet had been cut, the world felt dark to me. We want to study. We want to be educated. We want to be able to help people in our future.

Despite existing whispers about restoring internet access through alternative routes, the Taliban has yet to provide a clear plan, leaving many economically vulnerable and restricted in their aspirations for education and professional growth. Teachers have noted that this blackout disrupts not just their livelihood but also the future prospects of their students, particularly for women who are systematically barred from conventional schooling.

Anas, a money changer in Takhar, emphasized the hardships caused by the shutdown: Seeing my children so helpless... [that was] the hardest for me. Only God knows what will happen to them and to me. As the internet cuts deeper into Afghan society, the hopes of a generation hang in the balance.