From Veils to Virtual Classrooms: Thousands of Afghan women defy Taliban by studying “underground” with American online university

“Girls like me have bitter fate under Taliban dictatorship,” said Pakiza, a 25-year-old Afghan woman. “I want the right to be educated like any other woman in the world. I want to break the doors that keep me isolated.” Only the student’s first name is used to protect her identity.

Following the Taliban’s return in 2021, the women of Afghanistan have lost most of their freedoms, including their right to be educated, but not their desire to learn. As a result, thousands of Afghan women like Pakiza are defying the Taliban by continuing their education “underground” from the safety of their homes with University of the People (UoPeople), an American online university.

“Studying online is really the only option left for these brave Afghan women to continue their educational journeys,” said UoPeople President Shai Reshef, an American entrepreneur with extensive experience in distance learning. “This is a serious human rights issue, and I am urging every university around the globe to follow UoPeople’s example and open their online classes for free to Afghan women.”

Since the Taliban seized control of the country in August 2021, more than 26,000 Afghan women desperate to continue their education have applied to UoPeople, the first non-profit, tuition-free, American-accredited online university. Currently more than 3,100 Afghan women are studying at UoPeople and the university is actively raising funds to provide additional scholarships. To avoid detection by the Taliban, the university encourages its Afghan students to use pseudonyms or fake names in their online classes.

Designed to open access to higher education globally, UoPeople helps qualified high school graduates overcome financial, geographic, political, and personal constraints keeping them from collegiate studies. UoPeople serves more than 137,000 students from over 200 countries, including 16,500 refugees — more than any other university in the world.

UoPeople’s easily accessible and asynchronous online degree programs ensure that students can study at any time, from anywhere in the world with a basic internet connection to access the university’s courses.

“This is not just about providing access to education; it is about giving Afghan women the tools to reclaim their autonomy and providing them with hope for a better future,” said UoPeople President Reshef, who was awarded the Yidan Prize for Educational Development – one of the most prestigious honors in higher education – earlier this year.

“Many thanks to the University of People for giving me a chance to study,” said Pakiza. I want to be a defender of knowledge and break the doors that keep me isolated. I hope the same for all Afghan women who are deprived of education.”

This story was first published in AP on August 15, 2024