KABUL: The Taliban’s education ministry has announced a revision of the curriculum for primary schools, asserting alignment with Sharia law. Mansour Ahmad Hamzah, the spokesperson for the Taliban’s Education Ministry, shared the development on Monday, revealing that subjects not conforming to the “Sharia and culture of Afghanistan” have been removed. However, specific details regarding the eliminated subjects were not provided.
This curriculum overhaul comes two years after the Taliban imposed a ban on education for girls and women, citing the necessity for conditions desired by the Taliban and the need for curriculum adjustments. The decision led to the closure of schools and universities for girls and women, raising concerns about access to education for a significant portion of the population.
Highlighting the educational initiatives undertaken by the Taliban, Hamzah mentioned the recruitment of over 40,000 teachers, including women, in the past two years. The emphasis on increasing the number of educators suggests an effort to address the educational needs of the population while aligning with the Taliban’s ideological framework.
Furthermore, Hamzah provided insights into the infrastructure development in the education sector, reporting the construction of 972 schools in the past two years. Notably, 600 schools were completed in the last six months, with an additional 60 expected to be finished by year-end. The Taliban’s Ministry of Education also reported the registration of approximately 14,000 religious schools under its administration during the same period.
However, these educational transformations have drawn scrutiny, with a recent report by the U.S. Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) highlighting concerns. According to the report, the Taliban has repurposed public schools into full-time religious institutions, raising questions about the diversity of education and the potential influence of extremist ideologies.
The revisions in the primary school curriculum and the broader educational initiatives by the Taliban reflect the group’s efforts to shape the educational landscape in accordance with its interpretation of Sharia law.
