The educational system plays a crucial role in shaping the future of any country. Its significance has grown significantly in our increasingly complex world. It is tasked with shaping the minds and behaviors of future generations. Societies with thriving individuals who are diligent, innovative, law-abiding, and optimistic reap the greatest benefits from a robust educational system. Examples of such successful societies include Finland, Japan, Singapore, and various other parts of the world.
In Afghanistan, the state of education has been continuously deteriorating during the wars and turmoil of the recent half-century. Its practical impact on people’s lives includes poverty, insecurity, lawlessness, environmental degradation, destruction of wildlife, depletion of natural resources, damage to ancient artifacts, widespread violence, unchecked population growth, perpetual displacement, vulnerability to natural disasters, decline in the arts, and inconsistency with global trends. The overall result of this situation is evident in statistics that consistently place Afghanistan at the bottom of various lists, reflecting both the happiness of its people, the credibility of its passport, and its hope for the future.
The collapse of Afghanistan’s educational system began decades ago and has continued unabated, but with the Taliban’s resurgence, its collapse has accelerated significantly. Various factors can contribute to the inefficiency of a country’s education system, turning it into a lifeless skeleton despite the existence of a ministry named ” Ministry of Education” and the outward appearance of educational institutions with physical structures. In practice, however, they have failed to achieve any significant progress or impact on people’s lives and well-being.
The primary factor in any society’s educational system is the educator, referred to as “teacher” in Afghanistan. A teacher must possess certain qualities that are essential for successfully fulfilling such a mission. Indeed, not everyone is suited for teaching. In addition to necessary personal qualities, a teacher must be equipped with knowledge and skills that are crucial for this profession, and this necessitates teacher training. This means that a country’s education system should prioritize the training of teachers. If a teacher lacks the necessary competence, they not only corrupt the student’s mind but also their character. For the teaching profession to be composed of the best elements of society, benefits, and privileges should be provided to encourage the best talents to join this profession.
Another important factor in a country’s educational system is the curriculum, referred to as “Educational Curriculum” in Afghanistan. The curriculum outlines the map that students are expected to follow during their years of education and guides their educational path accordingly. The curriculum must address both the body of knowledge that students need and the set of behavioral matters that shape their psychological and social character. In stable and advanced countries, the curriculum is regularly reviewed by experts to keep it aligned with the latest scientific and industrial developments worldwide and to benefit from the latest theories in this field. If the curriculum becomes stagnant and rigid, the country’s education system lags behind the scientific and intellectual trends and loses its effectiveness. Reviewing and upgrading the curriculum is a heavy responsibility, and it is only manageable by top-notch experts in the field because it is highly sensitive and specialized work, and interference by non-professionals can lead to its destruction.
Another crucial element in a country’s educational system is the learning environment. The space of a school, university, or any other educational institution must be designed professionally. The learning environment is not just for the physical presence of students and listening to teachers’ lessons; it is also essential for social interaction, teamwork, learning etiquette and behavioral norms, constructive dialogue, and ongoing exchange of ideas. The learning environment is a vessel where the character of each individual from the future generation is supposed to take shape, and their hidden talents and potentials are supposed to flourish. Therefore, the learning environment must be equipped with necessary facilities such as laboratories, gymnasiums, and libraries on the one hand, and the other hand, the prevailing atmosphere should be free from fear, anxiety, tension, violence, and oppression. Many are those whose personalities have been shattered in an unhealthy learning environment and have suffered from its consequences throughout their lives. A significant portion of psychological disorders among the literate members of our society stems from an unhealthy learning environment that, instead of being constructive, has been destructive.
Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, systematic destruction of the country’s educational system has begun. While there were deficiencies before, there was no will for its systematic destruction. Despite corruption, inefficiency, and unworthiness among some of the senior administrators of the education system, efforts were made to address its shortcomings and to somewhat adhere to the standards set by international institutions. The Taliban neither values international educational standards nor past achievements. Instead, they view schools and universities fundamentally as places opposed to their religious values and believe they must be fundamentally transformed to be corrected.
With a pessimistic assumption about education outside religious schools and suspicion towards modern schools, the Taliban seek to change the nature of the country’s educational system, aiming to turn schools into places for ideological indoctrination. The Taliban’s Ministry of Education has increased the hours of religious subjects to bombard students’ minds with various religious content and provide more opportunities for their desired clerics to influence students and expand their brainwashing process. Furthermore, they have removed certain civil subjects from the curriculum and introduced revisionist history teachings to portray their wars and violence as part of the national liberation struggle.
The changes in Afghanistan’s educational system are insidious and dangerous, without any improvement in the status of teachers or constructive changes in the learning environment. Afghanistan’s education is crumbling under the shadow of the Taliban, serving only the interests of armed groups, mafias, and extremist factions.