Afghan girls can no longer go to school. For the boys who can, education has been replaced by radicalisation
Mohammad Rasool began noticing changes in his children’s school curriculum almost immediately after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021. At first, the changes were small, almost unnoticeable. “They stopped teaching about leaders like Amanullah Khan who were part of the history books,” Mr Rasool, 32, told The National , referring to the ruler of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, who was…
Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the educational landscape has undergone drastic changes. An immediate shift was observed in the school curriculum, with the removal of teachings about historical figures such as Amanullah Khan, who had championed modern policies including mandatory education. Additionally, the Taliban banned girls from higher education, leading to two of Mohammad Rasool's daughters no longer attending school and his younger daughter and son attending a nearby primary school in Kandahar.
The Taliban's actions have been accompanied by the introduction of radical content into textbooks, emphasizing terms like "jihad" and glorifying war against perceived enemies. Afghan educators and researchers express deep concern over the Taliban's rewriting of textbooks and alteration of curriculums in madrassas, traditional schools focused on religious teachings.
A 2024 Human Rights Watch report revealed that the Taliban's policies have led to the dismissal of female teachers, increased corporal punishment, and the replacement of subjects like physics and English with "useful" subjects. The Taliban are also expanding madrassas, reaching over 23,000 institutions with over 3.65 million students, in order to propagate their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.
This shift towards religious education is causing concern among parents and educators, as children may not acquire practical skills needed for the future.
Written by urgent.news from The National Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
