SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: November 01, 2025

Attack Types: Other

Institution(s):Multiple Institutions

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Afghanistan

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On November 1, 2025, Taliban Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem closed four private universities because of their ethnic and sectarian orientation.

The four universities affected included Qalam University, Esteqamat University, Ibn Sina University, and Dunya University. There were also reports that the Ministry of Education was preparing to close more than thirty private universities affiliated with members of the previous Afghan government.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the forced closure of higher education institutions. State authorities have a responsibility to refrain from encroaching on university autonomy. Such actions undermine university autonomy and inhibit institutions’ ability to function freely, undermining academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://8am.media/eng/taliban-ministry-of-higher-education-suspends-four-private-universities-in-afghanistan/
https://zarintv.com/english/2025101717508