Taliban Management of the Education Sector

Afghan Witness examines the Taliban's stated vision for education in Afghanistan in 2023, comparing the Taliban’s stated vision for education and the reality experienced by practitioners, institutions, and students in the country.

© Afghan Witness, 2022, Bamiyan, Afghanistan via Afghan Witness.

Throughout the year, Taliban officials have been vocal about education and their desire to transform the system in line with their views and values.

In the first part of the report, Afghan Witness analyses these statements, drawing out the consistent themes in communications, including:

• Ensuring widespread access to education, including for returning refugees from Pakistan.

• Promoting religious and scientific education as dual pillars of education, required to strengthen Afghan society.

• Improving educational infrastructure across the country to enable higher quality education.

• Reforming curricula to ensure alignment with Islamic Sharia and global standards.

• Strengthening the capacity of teachers, lecturers, and MoE staff.

• Encouraging patience regarding the roll out of women and girls’ education.

The report then highlights the realities on the ground, as reported by media, social media users, and sources in Afghanistan, and recorded by Afghan Witness. Major elements that were witnessed included:

• The destruction of educational property across Afghanistan.

• An increase in the number of madrasas and private religious schools.

• Staffing changes, including an increase in recruitment for religious schools.

• The limited space for alternative options for education.

• Violence perpetrated against teachers and students.

• The ways in which women and girls’ education is often dependent on local authorities’ application of central Taliban policies.
  

Read the full report here.