On December 20, Ministry of Higher Education has said that female students would not be allowed access to the country’s universities until further notice, reports Al Jazeera. A letter, confirmed by a spokesperson for the ministry, instructed Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students immediately, in accordance with a Cabinet decision. “You all are informed to immediately implement the mentioned order of suspending the education of females until further notice,” said a letter issued to all government and private universities, signed by the Minister for Higher Education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem. The spokesman for the Ministry, Ziaullah Hashimi, who tweeted the letter.