Taliban spokespersons and leaders consistently accuse the opposition of giving the Taliban negative publicity. They claim that the world and internal opponents of the Taliban overlook the group’s “achievements” and only focus on the problems inherited from years of war and the inefficiencies of previous governments. While the Taliban media publishes news of their officials’ meetings and actions with praise, a closer look reveals the underlying darkness behind such reports. They are also busy concealing the Taliban’s illicit activities. The Taliban’s treatment of education and higher education has drawn significant criticism from the public. Not only non-Taliban members but also a considerable number of Taliban supporters and those who believe that cooperating with the Taliban would benefit them and lead to reform are dissatisfied with the group’s anti-education policies. This discontent has even spread within a portion of the Taliban leadership. However, since obedience is a key requirement in the Taliban emirate, these criticisms are not reflected in the official Taliban media. Instead, efforts are made to highlight news of meetings, actions, and supposed “progress” related to the Taliban’s agenda. In reality, the Taliban’s notion of progress is regressive.
The Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency website has a dedicated page for education. By reviewing some of the news articles published on that page, one can discern the Taliban’s perspective on education and the unfortunate situation of schools under Taliban rule. It becomes evident how the group attempts to conceal its wrongdoings by publishing news and reports. Upon opening the page, ten news headlines are displayed. Based on their content, we can categorize and review these pieces of news as follows:
A) School and University Educational Business
Contrary to their claims, the Taliban heavily rely on foreign aid and projects, much like other politicians over the past four decades. They are constantly eyeing the pockets of project owners at every step and action, including in the field of education. They follow two distinct approaches to educational institutions. On one hand, they involve religious leaders (mullahs) in these institutions, while on the other hand, they express animosity towards experts and consider them inferior, leading to their dismissal and forced emigration. In the last two years, thousands of university professors, teachers, and experts have left the country due to threats and pressure from the Taliban. Initially, some experts and professors endured the situation for months, trying to adapt to the new conditions. However, eventually, they were compelled to flee and abandon their duties. Those who are still in service will most likely quit if they find an alternative.
When Taliban ministers and officials engage with foreigners and project owners, they use favorable language and express their commitment to enhancing technical capacity, training skilled personnel, and respecting those with knowledge and expertise. The first news article on the Education and Training page (Pashto section) of the Bakhtar Agency website covers the meeting between Shaikh Neda Mohammad Nadim, the Taliban Minister of Higher Education, and Robert C Dickson, the Charge d’Affaires of the UK Mission to Afghanistan. In this news article, Dickson pledged regular and practical cooperation between his country and Afghanistan in the field of education. Shaikh Nadeem expressed his desire to establish strong bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and the Taliban Emirate, and to cooperate with the world and Afghanistan in educational progress. It is worth noting that this Taliban Shaikh, who has repeatedly vowed to establish a higher education system dominated by religious leaders and once even stated that, when evaluating these religious leaders seeking higher education, the number of bombs they have planted and rockets they have fired is more important than their literacy, is now meeting with the UK Charge d’Affaires. The news article concludes with a promise of ongoing cooperation and assistance from the UK to the Ministry of Higher Education. Shaikh Nadim’s support for his esteemed guest aims to secure financial aid and foreign assistance, rather than reflecting an understanding of the importance of expertise and respect for the scientific community.
Foreign visits constitute a significant part of Taliban news coverage. They strive to present their contacts with foreigners in a pretentious manner under any pretext. More importantly, there is a financial aspect to these interactions. Attracting projects and receiving funding is an important part of every minister’s responsibilities. One news article on the education section of the Bakhtar Agency’s website highlights a meeting between former Taliban Minister of Higher Education, Shaikh Abdul Baqi Haqqani, and a representative from the Turkish Embassy. Shaikh Haqqani was appointed as the head of the National Examinations Department, and he is currently involved in reforming the education system. Recently, it was announced that exams will be divided into three categories: medical, social, and scientific sciences. Shaikh Haqqani has requested technical cooperation from Turkey in the field of examinations. He stated that technical officials from the Turkish Examinations Department will come to Afghanistan to assist the Taliban Examinations Department in implementing new systems. While Turkey may assist the Taliban in establishing surveillance systems, it is unlikely that the Taliban will take any action to improve knowledge within the country using those skills. Instead, they will employ these techniques and skills to restrict women’s education, categorize sciences, and manage and control people’s access to knowledge. Last year, they even announced a prohibition on women studying fields traditionally associated with men, such as engineering and agriculture.
B) Construction of Madrasas and Destruction of Schools
The Taliban view schools and madrasas as two parts of a single institution. During the Islamic Republic period, there were efforts to bridge the gap between schools and madrasas. The government planned to formalize madrasas and revise their curriculum so that children and teenagers could learn not only religious subjects but also natural sciences, mathematics, and social sciences, gaining familiarity with the contemporary world. Similar reforms have been implemented in other countries, including Turkey.
The Imam Khatib schools in Turkey serve as a relatively successful example of integrating schools into the formal and modern educational system. In these schools, core subjects like mathematics and natural sciences are taught just like in other schools, but the social department focuses more on religious and traditional education. Graduates can enter universities and pursue professional and specialized fields, while also having the option to become Khatibs and Imams in mosques. However, the Taliban take a reverse approach.
They aim to “reform” the current education system to benefit madrasas. Their objective is to impose madrasa culture, mentality, and behavior on schools, marginalizing modern subjects and devoting most of children’s and youth’s time to religious and sectarian lessons. While non-Taliban members were working towards transferring the mentality of questioning, research, and work from schools and universities to madrasas, the Taliban seek to suppress this mentality and replace it with compliance and subservience.
The news regarding the construction of madrasas, the encouragement and support of religious teachers, the announcement of tens of thousands of new vacancies for mullah recruitment, and the Taliban’s focus on improving their technical skills for administrative work are prominent features of the education and training department’s news on the Bakhtar Agency website. One of the news articles on the front page of the Taliban’s education section reports that Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the Taliban Prime Minister, met with Shaikh Al-Hadith Mawlawi Masihullah Mossadeq. During the meeting, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir expressed his intention to advise the Ministry of Education on enhancing the recruitment capacity of the Panjshir Jihadi school. Mawlawi Mossadeq mentioned the satisfaction of the people of Panjshir with the activities of the jihadi school and their desire for more opportunities. He highlighted that after the reopening of the religious school, thousands of individuals in Panjshir enrolled, but there are insufficient facilities to accommodate all those interested. Since regaining power, the Taliban have established hundreds of new religious schools across the country while neglecting efforts to strengthen traditional schools. Furthermore, they have hindered private and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in educational initiatives. Reports of extremism promotion and madrasa construction in Panjshir have previously surfaced, indicating the Taliban’s focus on enticing children and youth in the province towards non-modern and Taliban-style education.
Another news article discusses a meeting between Mawlawi Abdul Kabir and Shaikh Nadeem, focusing on ways to educate university students in accordance with Afghanistan’s needs as perceived by the Taliban. This meeting could be seen as a continuation of the Taliban’s efforts to change the curriculum, segregate courses by gender, and divide entrance examinations into categories, all aimed at facilitating gender discrimination, promoting Taliban-style training, and recruiting mullahs in universities. Abdul Kabir emphasized the need to reform the curriculum, ensuring that students acquire an Islamic and national spirit in addition to academic knowledge. Throughout most Taliban news, there is a recurring concern about striking a balance between technical skills and the Taliban’s ideological spirit. They allow for scientific education to the extent that educated individuals possess unquestioning and obedient technical skills. However, scientific progress is not achievable without the spirit of inquiry. The Taliban’s removal of freedom and research from educational institutions will lead to the eradication of scientific development.
On the 2nd day of this month, Taliban Acting Minister of Education Mawlawi Habibullah Agha visited Nuristan. News of his trip is also featured on the Education Department’s page of the Bakhtar Agency. In the meeting, Mawlawi Habibullah emphasized the importance of modern education as a human need that cannot be overlooked. He stressed the necessity of equipping children with religious and modern sciences to stay in line with the rest of the world. Mawlawi Habibullah also highlighted the Taliban’s special attention to the education of children in Nuristan and their plans to construct 10 religious schools in Parun, the province’s capital, as well as its surrounding districts. The news article published by Bakhtar Agency does not mention the construction of non-religious schools. Mawlawi Habibullah announced the allocation of 100,000 new positions in schools and religious centers. However, considering the Taliban’s lack of interest in recruiting educated personnel and their emphasis on prioritizing the recruitment of mullahs, it is unlikely that university graduates will be included among those 100,000 individuals. This army of 100,000 is intended for the madrasas in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Last year, a video circulated in the media showing a delegation of Pakistani mullahs, led by Taqi Usmani, meeting with Taliban higher education officials. During the visit, the then Minister of Higher Education acted as an agent for the Taliban group, providing reports to the assertive Pakistani mullahs. In that meeting, the Taliban minister promised to take measures to absorb graduates of Pakistani madrasas who are ethnically Afghan but lack Afghan ID cards. It is probable that many graduates of Pakistani madrasas will be among the 100,000 individuals newly recruited into the country’s education sector.
C) Deprivation of Education
The closure of girls’ schools is rightfully regarded as the Taliban’s most egregious betrayal of education in the country. This discriminatory act of collective deprivation cannot be compared to any other educational problem. However, the remaining schools for children are inadequate and lack the necessary facilities and quality for proper education. The Taliban’s anti-school stance has hindered education and robbed children of hope and enthusiasm. Private efforts to promote and support education have dwindled and faced numerous obstacles. Among the recent news articles from Bakhtar Agency, two pieces of news from Laghman province are published in the education section.
One news article states that new local schools will be established in the province, providing education for 11,000 children. While the news initially seems promising, further reading reveals that it is a temporary project initiated by UNICEF, rather than a fundamental and long-term endeavor. With the financial support of UNICEF, the Abrar Institute will create 320 intensive education classes (likely focusing on literacy and intensive educational programs for children who have missed out on education) in Mehtarlam district and all districts of Laghman. Out of these classes, more than 7,000 will be for girls and fewer than 4,000 for boys. These figures indicate that many children still lack access to education.
If 11,000 children can receive education in just one province through a UNICEF project, one wonders how many deserving boys and girls are deprived of educational opportunities throughout Afghanistan. In the same province of Laghman, how many children other than the mentioned 11,045 still cannot attend school? The report does not mention any support or cooperation from the Taliban or a similar plan by the Ministry of Education to address the educational needs of deprived children. However, another news article from Laghman, published on the same day, states that the Taliban are actively creating an alternative education system. The officials of the Department of Information and Culture of Laghman province laid the foundation stone for a school in Dawlat Shah district. Mawlawi Abdul Noor Rasouli, the head of information and culture for the Taliban in Laghman, informed Bakhtar Agency that the madrasa would be built using local funds. Its purpose would be to facilitate Quran memorization and provide basic religious education for those aspiring to become mullahs. This religious school, with a capacity for hundreds of students, will be constructed in Chandal village of the Dawlatshah district. The construction of madrasas and the anti-school campaign is underway throughout Afghanistan. By reviewing just ten news articles on the front page of the Bakhtar Agency’s education section, one can gain a relative understanding of this campaign. One news article is dedicated to schools in Baghlan province, where the Department of Education has instructed religious schools to implement a new curriculum as soon as possible. It appears that the Taliban is also altering the school curriculum to advance their Talibanization agenda. Mohammad Harun Muslimyar, the press officer for the Taliban’s Department of Education in Baghlan, informed Bakhtar Agency that the new curriculum for the emirate’s schools was devised by “a number of scholars,” and madrasa officials have been instructed to implement it.