MIHTARLAM, Afghanistan: Some public universities opened in Afghanistan on Wednesday for the first time since the Taleban seized power in August, with a trickle of women attending classes that officials said would be segregated by sex. Most secondary schools for girls and all public universities were shuttered when the hardline Islamist group stormed back to power, sparking fears women would again be barred from education -- as happened during the Taleban's first rule, from 1996-2001.

"It's a moment of joy for us that our classes have started," Zarlashta Haqmal, who studies law and political science at Nangarhar University, told AFP. "But we are still worried that the Taleban might stop them." One analyst said the reopening of universities was a "critical marker" on the Taleban's road to international recognition.

Officials said universities in Laghman, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Nimroz, Farah and Helmand provinces opened yesterday. More were scheduled to resume operations elsewhere in the country later this month. An AFP correspondent saw one small group of women, wearing the all-covering burqa, enter Laghman University early yesterday.

The men who attended -- ferried to the campus in local taxis and buses -- were dressed in traditional tunics known as shalwar kameez. Attendance was very light and Taleban fighters guarded the entrance, a tripod-mounted machine gun resting on a boom gate. Most students declined to offer their thoughts on returning to class, with some saying they had been warned by authorities not to speak to the press. Journalists were prevented from entering the Laghman campus and universities in other provinces.

'Critical marker'

The Taleban have said they have no objection to education for women, but want classes to be segregated and the curriculum based on Islamic principles. "We were told that the classes will be held according to the Sharia law," said Malik Samadi, a 23-year-old mathematics student. "I hope that they keep all the courses, because society needs them." "Education is the foundation of a country," said civil engineering student Munsefullah at Helmand University, expressing joy at returning to his studies.

Still, while happy to be returning to lectures, one student looked beyond her studies with pessimism. "We are also sad because being political and law students, our future is at risk as we won't be able to get jobs under this regime," said Khadija Azizi from Nangarhar University. "It's no more pleasant for us because we have lost hope for our future."

On Tuesday, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said the reopening of universities was an "important step" as it offered equal access to education for all. The reopenings come a week after a Taleban delegation held talks with Western officials in Norway, where they were pressed on improving the rights of women to unlock billions of dollars in seized assets and frozen foreign aid.

The halting of aid has triggered a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which has already been devastated by decades of war. No country has yet recognised the new Taleban regime, which has promised a softer version of the harsh rule that characterised their first stint in power.

The regime has imposed several restrictions on women, including banning them from many government jobs. The Taleban say all girls' schools will reopen by the end of March. "The reopening of public universities... would bode well for the return of girls (to school) around the country," United States Institute of Peace analyst Andrew Watkins told AFP. "This is the Taleban taking a step that would be a critical marker in moving closer towards recognition." - AFP