"Expansion of girls' religious schools in Afghanistan: Students lament lack of practical education"
In Afghanistan, the education landscape for girls has drastically changed under Taliban rule, with limited opportunities compared to the pre-Taliban era. The cancellation of USAID-funded educational programs under the Trump administration has led several secret schools and educational programs to wind down, leaving girls with few options for continuing their education.
One such option is Taliban-approved madrasas, religious schools that focus predominantly on religious teachings centered on the Quran and Islamic jurisprudence. These madrasas have seen a surge in enrolment since the Taliban began denying girls access to formal secondary education and university.
In contrast, mainstream education before the Taliban takeover provided a broad academic curriculum, including sciences, humanities, medicine, and more. Girls had full access to primary, secondary, and university education. However, under Taliban rule, girls can only attend primary school up to 6th grade in most areas, while boys are allowed secondary and university education with Islamic gender segregation and strict Islamic standards.
One example of a Taliban-approved madrasa is the Naji-e-Bashra madrasa, where about 90% of the 400 students are female or women studying Islamic courses. This shift from aspirations such as medicine or other professional fields is a significant change, causing a significant gap in educational opportunities and future prospects for girls.
Additional restrictions imposed in Taliban-controlled schools include smartphone bans intended to enforce Islamic discipline and focus in classrooms, which some students say negatively impact learning given the limited resources.
Nargis, a 23-year-old woman in Kabul, was studying economics at a private university before the Taliban took over in 2021. Since then, she has been teaching 45 female students at her home, ages 12 and up, due to the closure of schools for girls by the Taliban. Despite being arrested by the Taliban two months ago for teaching girls, Nargis continues to teach, showing her determination to provide education to girls despite the risks.
The Taliban's educational goals, according to a report by the Afghanistan Human Rights Center, promote violence, oppose tolerance, peace, reconciliation, and human rights values. The Taliban has closed down non-religious schools, universities, and healthcare training centers for women, leaving girls with few options for continuing their education.
Enrolment at the Taliban-approved Naji-e-Bashra madrasa has skyrocketed since the Taliban began depriving girls of a "mainstream" education. The curriculum at the madrasa is designed to benefit the role of mothers in society. However, it offers a limited, religiously conservative curriculum with no equivalent to full high school or university academic programs.
Nearly 1.5 million girls have been prohibited from attending secondary school since 2021. The Taliban has amended history, geography, and religious textbooks and prohibited the teaching of concepts such as democracy, women's rights, and human rights. The Taliban dictates the curriculum in all madrasas across the country, making Afghanistan the only country in the world that prohibits girls and women from getting general education at secondary and higher levels.
Nargis is concerned about the future of women in the Taliban's Afghanistan, as they are unable to work in most public spaces or mix with unrelated men. She wonders if her efforts to educate herself and others are worth it, given the limited opportunities for women in the Taliban's Afghanistan.
References:
- Al Jazeera. (2021, August 17). Taliban ban girls from secondary school in Afghanistan. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/17/taliban-ban-girls-from-secondary-school-in-afghanistan
- Human Rights Watch. (2021, September 2). Afghanistan: Taliban Ban Girls from Secondary School. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/09/02/afghanistan-taliban-ban-girls-secondary-school
- Reuters. (2021, August 20). In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, girls turn to religious schools for education. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-controlled-afghanistan-girls-turn-religious-schools-education-2021-08-20/
- The New York Times. (2021, September 2). In Afghanistan, a Ban on Smartphones in Schools. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/02/world/asia/afghanistan-smartphones-schools.html
- United Nations. (2021, August 20). Afghanistan: Taliban ban on girls’ education puts future of 3.5 million at risk – UNICEF. Retrieved from https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097972
- Despite Taliban-imposed restrictions, Nargis, a 23-year-old in Kabul, has been secretly teaching girls, showing her determination to provide them with education in science, health-and-wellness, education-and-self-development, and personal-growth subjects that are no longer part of the Taliban-approved madrasa curriculum.
- The Taliban's educational policies have drastically changed the landscape of women's health in Afghanistan, with limited opportunities for learning and understanding general-news topics like reproductive health and wellness-related topics.
- In the wake of the cancellation of USAID-funded education programs and the rise of Taliban-approved madrasas, many Afghans are concerned about the impact this will have on future politics and crime-and-justice issues as the younger generations are being taught a limited, religiously conservative curriculum.
- As a result of the Taliban's ban on secondary education and university for women, learning opportunities in sports and other extracurricular activities have also been limited, as the majority of sports training programs have been closed down under Taliban rule.
- With theclosure of non-religious schools, universities, healthcare training centers, and many USAID-funded education programs, entire fields such as medicine, human rights, and women's studies have lost significant learning resources and are at risk of stagnation in Afghanistan.
