Taliban Forces Out Secular Schools for Girls: How Afghanistan is Turning into a Madrasah Country

According to glavcom.ua: An investigation showed that in eight Afghan provinces, secular education for girls is being effectively displaced by religious education. The country already has over 21,000 madrasahs – traditional Islamic schools where religion, the Quran, and Islamic law are taught. This information is reported by 'Glavcom' citing the British publication The Guardian in collaboration with Afghan Zan Times.

Provincial governments with the support of the Taliban are creating conditions under which girls must exclusively attend religious schools, and in the past six months, more than 50 new madrasahs have been built in Afghanistan. Families that refuse to send their daughters to such institutions face the threat of losing humanitarian aid and the opportunity to find work. This leads to secular education losing its significance, and many girls abandon dreams of becoming doctors or engineers.

Representatives of the 'Taliban' have already prohibited girls from attending schools and women from working in them. Even those who still have the opportunity to study are forced to combine regular education with religious education. The new Ministry of Education of Afghanistan announced the return of male students and male teachers to classes starting September 18, but it is still unknown whether girls and female teachers will also be allowed to resume classes.

It should be noted that the Taliban movement sees its goal in limiting education for girls and women, which may lead to detrimental consequences for society, particularly in the area of gender equality and social development.