On Tuesday, the country's ministry of higher education prohibited girls from attending universities and other higher education institutions.

"I went to university this morning, but I was not allowed in there. It is not only me, but also dozens of other female students came back home hopeless," the woman, who had been studying at one of Kabul's private universities, said.

The Sputnik correspondent reported, citing other sources, that armed members of the Taliban were controlling entrances to universities and not letting women in.

Photos published on social media showed that students of Nangarhar University in the Afghan city of Jalalabad went to protest against the Taliban's ban.

The decision of the Afghan authorities has been harshly criticized by a number of foreign organizations and officials, with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Tuerk saying that the move was in clear violation of Afghanistan's obligations under international law.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated that the bloc strongly condemns the Taliban's decision, which "deprives Afghanistan of women's contributions to society."

(With UNI inputs)