Residents of Qarabagh District in Ghazni province report that the Taliban plan to downgrade Mahmood Tarzi High School in the Asghir area to a primary school. Despite repeated efforts by local elders and community members to petition Taliban-controlled authorities in Ghazni and Kabul to halt this decision, the Taliban have ignored their appeals and initiated the conversion process. Residents warn that this change will deprive more than 100 students of education beyond the sixth grade. Meanwhile, the Taliban claim there are 21,000 religious schools and 18,000 general schools operating across the country.
Some residents, speaking anonymously, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban cited a decline in student enrollment as the reason for the downgrade. They also revealed that the school will retain only one principal and two teachers, with the remaining staff being dismissed.
The residents of Qarabagh District have expressed deep concern over the plan, warning that its implementation will strip dozens of male students in grades higher than the fourth of their right to education. One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “By downgrading this school from a high school to a primary school, the Taliban are effectively depriving dozens of students currently enrolled of their education.”
He further explained, “Local elders have approached the Directorate of Education in Ghazni and central authorities in Kabul multiple times, but no one has responded to the community’s concerns. What are we supposed to do? Our daughters have already been denied education, and now it’s happening to the boys.”
Another resident criticized the Taliban’s educational officials in Ghazni, saying he might be forced to relocate his family to ensure his sons can continue their studies. “With the economic hardships we face, only a small number of families can afford alternative educational opportunities for their children,” he said.
He continued, “Over the past three years, countless challenges have forced people to leave their villages. Some migrated abroad, while others, trapped by poverty, abandoned education altogether. Yet, many families still live here and have a right to access education. If this right is taken away, I’ll have no choice but to migrate—either abroad or to another part of the country—so my two sons can study. But not everyone has the resources to make such a move.”
Local sources confirmed that at least 100 male students currently attend classes above the fourth grade at Mahmood Tarzi High School. If the Taliban proceed with the downgrade, all these students will lose access to further education.
This development follows the circulation of a video on social media showing a Taliban Monitoring and Oversight official in Panjshir province lamenting the sharp decline in student attendance at several schools in Dara District. Social media users have attributed the decline to the Taliban’s oppressive policies in the region, which have forced many families to flee their homes out of fear of reprisals.
Since seizing power, the Taliban, known for their long-standing opposition to modern formal schooling, have shown little interest in improving the quality or accessibility of general education. Instead, their focus has been on expanding religious schools across the country. Over the past three years, a significant portion of the Ministry of Education’s budget, under Taliban control, has been funneled into building, funding, and equipping religious and military schools. The Taliban’s preference for religious school students and the employment of their graduates have discouraged many families from enrolling their children in general schools, leading to increased dropout rates.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Education recently emphasized that developing and strengthening religious schools remains one of their top priorities. According to the ministry, Afghanistan now has over 21,000 religious schools and 18,000 general schools. In the past year, more than one million children were enrolled in Taliban religious schools, compared to 445,000 who joined public and private schools.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
ادامه مکتبستیزی طالبان؛ باشندهگان قرهباغ غزنی از تقلیل یک لیسه به ابتداییه شکایت دارند
