On first day of Afghan school year, Kabul institutes deserted

Kabul

Universities in Kabul were almost empty on the first day ofthe Afghan school year, as professors and students wrestled with the Taliban'srestrictive new rules for the classroom.

The Taliban have promised a softer rule than during theirfirst stint in power from 1996-2001, when women's freedoms in Afghanistan weresharply curtailed and they were banned from higher education.

This time, the hardline group have said women will beallowed to go to private universities under the new regime, but they face toughrestrictions on their clothing and movement. Women can only attend class if they wear an abaya -- aflowing robe -- and a niqab -- a face veil with a small window to see through-- and are separated from men, the Taliban said.

"Our students don't accept this and we will have toclose the university," said Noor Ali Rahmani, the director of GharjistanUniversity in Kabul, on an almost empty campus on Monday.

"Our students wear the hijab, not the niqab," headded, referring to a headscarf.

The Taliban education authority issued a lengthy document onSunday outlining their measures for the classroom, which also ruled that menand women should be segregated -- or at least divided by a curtain if there are15 students or less.

"We said we didn't accept it because it will bedifficult to do," Rahmani told.

"We also said that it is not real Islam, it is not whatthe Koran says." From now on at private colleges and universities, which havemushroomed since the Taliban's first rule ended, women must only be taught byother women, or "old men", and use a women-only entrance.

They must also end their lessons five minutes earlier thanmen to stop them from mingling outside. So far, the Taliban has said nothing about publicuniversities