A video purporting to show female students sobbing uncontrollably in a classroom went viral on social networking sites a day after the Taliban government's higher education ministry barred them from Afghan institutions and universities. The 23-second trending video was published on Twitter on December 21. In a video, students in a classroom can be seen sobbing after learning that the Taliban have banned female education. Girls sobbing in misery as they are informed that they must leave the institution and return home since female university education in Afghanistan has been BANNED by the Taliban.

In a letter to universities on Tuesday, the Taliban declared their plan to outlaw female education, which was roundly denounced by the UN and other foreign governments.

According to accounts, armed forces were stationed outside educational facilities all around the country in large numbers, and female students were requested to leave.