Structure of Schools in Panjshir Becomes Pakistani
With the beginning of the 1404 academic year, local sources in Panjshir province have reported to IntelMedium that the Taliban has mandated all religious schools in the province to alter their curricula to follow the educational model of religious schools in Pakistan.
According to these reports, an official directive has been issued by the Taliban’s leader to the schools, replacing the previous grading system (from grades 1 to 12) with a new system based on levels.
The new structure includes the following educational stages: “Degree Khamsa, Degree Fiqh, Minor Hadith Course, and Major Hadith Course.” Additionally, the duration of education has been reduced from 12 years to 8 years.
Sources indicate that this new curriculum is fully implemented in all religious schools in Panjshir, despite opposition from many teachers who consider it incompatible with the educational methods commonly used in Afghanistan.
One teacher stated, “In the past, students in religious schools received education for 12 years, including both religious subjects and general subjects. Now everything is condensed into 8 years, with a sole focus on religious education. This is dangerous for the students’ future.”
Many families in Panjshir are concerned about this change. Some warn that eliminating scientific education may lead to the nurturing of a generation with narrow and extremist views, one that will lack scientific, cultural, and social skills.
Some sources speculate that this plan may eventually be implemented nationwide.
Contextual Analysis:
Over the past three years, following the Taliban’s reassertion of control in Afghanistan, their focus has increasingly shifted from strengthening formal schools to expanding traditional religious schools. While thousands of schools have either closed or remain semi-functional due to lack of funding, restrictions on girls’ education, and a decrease in the number of teachers, the Taliban has prioritized the expansion of religious schools and the Islamization of the educational system during this period.
In many provinces, educational resources and families report that the Taliban has invested more in religious schools, providing food for students and building new facilities for religious schools, while government schools face shortages of resources and teachers.
This educational shift has raised significant concerns among educational institutions, families, and the international community. Experts warn that diminishing the role of formal and scientific education while strengthening schools with limited religious content could jeopardize the future of a generation, fostering extremism, widespread illiteracy, and intellectual isolation in society.