They also ordered that women should only be taught by other women, but if that were not possible, they could fill in “old ones” of good character.
Women attending private Afghan universities must wear an abaya robe and a niqab that cover most of the face, have ordered the Taliban, and classes must be segregated by sex, or at least divided by a curtain.
In a lengthy document issued by the Taliban’s education authority, they also ordered that women should only be taught by other women, but if that were not possible, they could fill “old men” of good character.
The decree applies to private universities and colleges, which have increased since the first Taliban rule ended in 2001.
During this period, girls and women were mostly excluded from education because of the rules regarding same-sex classrooms and the insistence that they had to be accompanied by a male relative every time they left home.
There was no order for the women to wear the burqa completely surrounding the new regulations issued Saturday at the end, but the niqab effectively covers most of the face, leaving only the eyes exposed.
In recent years, the burqa and niqabs have largely disappeared from the streets of Kabul, but are seen more frequently in smaller cities and towns.
The decree comes as private universities prepare to open on Monday.
“Universities are required to hire teachers for students based on their facilities,” the decree states, which adds that men and women should use separate entrances and exits.
If it is not possible to hire female teachers, colleges “should try to hire older men who have a good track record of behavior.”
While women now have to study separately, they also have to finish the lesson five minutes before men to prevent them from mixing out.
They must then remain in the waiting rooms until their male counterparts leave the building, according to the decree of the Taliban Ministry of Higher Education.
“Practically, it’s a difficult plan: we don’t have enough instructors or classes to segregate the girls,” said a college professor who asked not to be named.
“But the fact that they allow girls to go to schools and universities is a big positive step,” she said AFP.
The new rulers of Afghanistan pledged to be more complacent than during their first stage in power, which also came after years of conflict: the first Soviet invasion of 1979 and then a bloody civil war.
They have promised a more “inclusive” government that represents the complex ethnic composition of Afghanistan, although women are unlikely to be included at the highest levels.
In the last twenty years, since the Taliban last ruled, university admission rates have risen sharply, especially among women.
Before the Taliban returned in a lightning military campaign, entering the capital Kabul last month, women studied alongside men and attended seminars with male teachers.
But a series of deadly attacks on schools in recent years has caused panic.
The Taliban denied being behind the attacks, some of which were claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group.