Senior staff members at a number of Afghan nursing and midwifery schools said on Tuesday that women would not be allowed to enroll in programs, the Taliban supreme leader's unwritten decree.

Unauthorized to speak to the media, a public health ministry official revealed that health authorities met with directors of educational institutions in Kabul, the capital, on Monday to apprise them of the decision.

"The directors of the institutes were informed in a meeting that women and girls can no longer study in their institutes, but there is no official letter," he claimed. They were only informed of the supreme leader's directive and urged to carry it out without any explanation or facts.

Dozens of managers were there, according to the manager of an institute that was present during the conference.

A senior worker at a different center reported that, due to misunderstandings regarding the rule, his boss attended a second meeting with health officials on Tuesday. According to the employee, institutes were allowed ten days to conduct final exams.

In the lack of a formal directive, some managers continued as usual, while others petitioned the ministry for clarification.

According to sources from the health ministry, there are approximately 10 state and more than 150 private health colleges in Afghanistan that offer two-year diplomas in 18 different fields, including midwifery, anesthesia, pharmacy, and dentistry. These institutions enroll 35,000 female students.

As one of the few remaining options, health institutes attracted a large number of female students. Currently, they comprise the vast majority of students in these facilities.

One manager said, "What are we supposed to do with just 10% of our students?"

The chargé d'affaires for the UK expressed his "deep concern" over the reports. He wrote on the social networking site X that this is another violation of women's right to education and will further limit Afghan women's and children's access to healthcare.

According to a source in the health ministry, the restriction would put further strain on the already troubled health system. This would lead to more shortages of the qualified medical and paramedical personnel that we currently need.