Afghan Women Turn to Online Learning to Defy Taliban’s Education Ban

Denied access to schools by Taliban rule, Afghan women are turning to online education to continue learning. Initiatives like Afghan Geeks and Vision Online University offer coding and academic courses, reaching thousands of women. Despite threats and no funding, volunteers remain committed to providing hope through knowledge.

Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, women have faced a sweeping rollback of rights, including a harsh ban on education beyond the primary level. For 24-year-old Sodaba, once a pharmacology student, this meant watching her academic aspirations vanish overnight. But a glimmer of hope emerged through online education—specifically a coding course led by an Afghan refugee in Greece.

Sodaba joined a course created by Murtaza Jafari, founder of Afghan Geeks, a tech initiative offering women in Afghanistan training in computer programming and web development. Jafari, once a refugee with no English skills or tech background, launched the program to give Afghan women a path to empowerment. Today, he teaches 28 women in beginner to advanced coding classes, also helping them secure internships and freelance jobs. He ensures their safety by never asking them to appear on camera during lessons, out of respect for their circumstances.

Another impactful effort is Vision Online University, a digital academy founded by Zahul, a 20-year-old Afghan woman who began the project after her own education was cut short. Partnering with a university professor, she now leads a team of 150 volunteers who provide free education in subjects ranging from psychology to Quranic studies. With more than 4,000 students enrolled, the academy is a lifeline for women denied physical classrooms.

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Despite threats, no funding, and working without pay, Zahul and others are determined to continue. Their resilience reflects a quiet yet powerful resistance—one that uses education, not protest, as its weapon.