Taliban dismisses over 120 female kindergarten staff in Kabul

The Taliban-controlled Directorate of Kindergartens under Afghanistan’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has dismissed more than 120 female teachers and staff from various kindergartens in Kabul. According to local media reports, the list of those terminated includes only women, most of whom worked in kindergartens affiliated with public schools and hospitals. Employees from facilities in the Ziest area were also affected.

Sources indicate that a total of 117 female staff members lost their jobs, many of whom had not received salaries for over three months. The dismissals come amid worsening living conditions and a continued crackdown on women’s employment opportunities in the country.

Previously, under Afghanistan’s former government, workplace-based kindergartens were established to support working parents—especially women—by offering safe childcare options. However, since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, women have been increasingly barred from public life, education, and employment, with many such childcare centers shut down.

This latest move is part of a broader pattern of restrictions imposed over the past two years, which have sparked international concern about the deteriorating status of women and girls in Afghanistan.