A ban on admitting students to law and political science programs at private universities has drawn complaints from students. Many applicants say that although the process for holding the university entrance exam, or Kankor, and announcing its results lacks transparency, they had still been counting on private universities to study their fields of interest.
Mashal (pseudonym), a law and political science student, says the field is central to social awareness, justice, the rule of law and citizens’ understanding of their rights. He says removing it from private universities limits young people’s chances to learn about law, human rights, political systems and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
“Afghanistan needs an educated, informed and skilled generation more than ever,” he says. “Rather than eliminating fields of study, the government should work to reform and improve the quality of higher education.” He is calling on the Taliban to reconsider the decision and preserve the opportunity for young people who want to pursue this field.
Hekmat (pseudonym), a twelfth-grade student, decided back in tenth grade to study law. Learning that private universities can no longer admit students to the program left him deeply discouraged. “Only one path is left now,” he says. “Either I get into a public university, where the exam isn’t transparent either, or I give up on this altogether.”
He adds that the constant policy shifts since the Taliban took power have left students unable to plan for their futures. “We can’t make decisions about our future or set a firm course because of the day-to-day decisions they make,” he says.
Omid (pseudonym), a university lecturer, says many students who could not secure a place in their preferred field at public universities, whether because of limited capacity or problems with the Kankor process, used to turn to private universities instead. Law and political science, he says, were among the fields that consistently drew large numbers of interested students.
“There was strong interest among young Afghans in studying law and political science,” he says. “Many pursued it purely out of personal interest, even knowing the job market for graduates was limited. Now that the field has been removed from private universities, that option is gone too.”
Nemat (pseudonym), an official at a private university, says halting the programs will hurt universities financially and put a number of professors out of work. “Universities were allowed to admit students to law and political science this year, but the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education recently told us these programs must be phased out,” he says. “Students already enrolled can finish their degrees, but we can no longer accept new students into these fields.”
Mir Abdul Wahid Sadat, head of the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association (AIBA), argues that the Taliban’s move to eliminate or restrict law, political science, international relations, social sciences, philosophy and the humanities cannot be viewed simply as an educational decision. He says it reflects growing ideological interference in the country’s higher education system.
“These fields study human beings, society, law, power, institutions and citizens’ rights,” he says. “Weakening or eliminating them can erode critical thinking and intellectual diversity in society.” He adds that undermining legal and political science education could also weaken the culture of resolving disputes through law and institutions, ultimately reducing the country’s institutional capacity and human capital.
The Taliban ordered on August 25, 2026, that law, political science, and international relations programs be gradually phased out of Afghanistan’s private universities, citing low student enrollment in these fields and limited job prospects for graduates as the reasons behind the decision.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
حذف رشتههای حقوق و علوم سیاسی؛ طالبان از تفکر انتقادی جوانان میترسند
