On May 13, 2025, the Taliban’s Ministry of Education had dismissed 120 faculty and staff members from Sheikh Zayed University on apparently ideologically motivated grounds.

The stated justification for the dismissals was “institutional downsizing” in compliance with a directive requiring that public institutions reduce their staff by 20 percent. However, media reports indicated that the dismissals were ideologically motivated and that most of those fired were either affiliated with the former US-backed Afghan government or clashed ideologically with the Taliban. The dismissals came amid reports of hundreds of faculty members being dismissed at universities across Afghanistan, including at Bamiyan University (see report). The Taliban had previously taken steps to replace existing faculty members at Sheikh Zayed University with madrasa graduates aligned with the Taliban, including by revising its criteria for faculty evaluations (see report).

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the mass dismissals of faculty members as a result of government interference. This is an instance of direct encroachment by the government on the university’s authority to set policies concerning personnel, admissions, curricula, and the establishment of particular programs. External actors, including government officials and political actors, have a right to free expression, but should not be permitted to impose undue pressure on universities’ academic decisions, including those relating to the hiring and firing of academic personnel or curricula. Universities should take measures to ensure, wherever possible, that such decisions remain free from outside pressure and are driven solely by academic considerations. Such actions undermine university autonomy and inhibit institutions’ ability to function freely.

Sources:
https://amu.tv/173924/
https://8am.media/eng/taliban-lay-off-120-professors-and-staff-at-sheikh-zayed-university-in-khost/
https://rudabe.org/archives/26658