The Darkening Shadow Over Afghanistan's Education System: Understanding The Taliban's Impact

The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has had a devastating impact on the country's education system, particularly for girls and women. In August 2021, the Taliban took control of the country, and since then, significant setbacks have been observed in educational access and quality. The crisis threatens to undo two decades of progress, during which enrolment increased from around 1 million students in 2001 to approximately 10 million in 2018, with a notable rise in the number of girls in school. However, the Taliban's policies and practices have reversed these gains.

The Taliban have banned girls from receiving secondary and higher education, affecting over 1.1 million girls at the secondary level alone. They have also prohibited women from teaching, causing disruptions in boys' education and leading to unqualified replacements. The curriculum has been altered to remove important subjects and promote discriminatory values. These actions have had severe consequences for the country's future and the human rights of its citizens.

The education system in Afghanistan was already fragile due to decades of conflict, natural disasters, poverty, and other socio-political issues. The Taliban's restrictions and ideological imposition have further exacerbated these challenges, hindering the right to education for Afghan children and youth, especially girls and women.

The Taliban's impact on girls' education

Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the education system in Afghanistan has been dealt a severe blow, and the right to education for Afghan girls is particularly at stake. The Taliban's impact on girls' education has been significant and far-reaching, with long-term consequences for the country's future.

Barriers to Education for Girls

Before the Taliban's return to power, significant progress had been made in girls' education in Afghanistan. From 2001 to 2018, the number of girls in primary school increased from almost zero to 2.5 million. However, the Taliban's policies and actions have created multiple barriers to girls' education. Firstly, the Taliban has banned girls and women from attending secondary school and obtaining higher education. This ban has prevented 1.1 million secondary school girls from getting an education and denied access to universities for over 100,000 young women.

Lack of Female Teachers

Additionally, the Taliban's prohibition of women from most employment, including teaching, has disrupted girls' education. Many girls' schools have closed due to a lack of female teachers, and in some cases, boys' schools have also been affected, with male teachers replacing female teachers, often with less qualifications. This has resulted in a decline in educational quality and attendance rates.

Insecurity and Traditional Norms

Insecurity and traditional norms and practices related to girls' and women's roles in society also hinder girls' enrolment. Girls are often kept at home due to discriminatory attitudes and are married off at a young age, with one-third of girls marrying before the age of 18. Geographical barriers, especially in rural and mountainous areas, further impede girls' access to education, as does the lack of proper sanitation facilities in many girls' schools.

Curriculum Changes

The Taliban has also made changes to the curriculum, removing important subjects like art, sports, English, and civic education, and increasing the focus on religious studies. This undermines the quality of education and promotes discrimination and the Taliban's ideological views.

Socio-Political and Humanitarian Crises

The socio-political and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, including natural disasters, poverty, and conflict, further exacerbate the challenges to girls' education. These factors raise safety concerns for parents, who may prevent their daughters from attending school.

Mental Health Consequences

The broad-based human rights, economic, and humanitarian crises have also negatively impacted the mental health of girls, with instances of corporal punishment and violence adding to their distress. Many girls express a lack of hope for the future under Taliban rule.

International Response

The situation has prompted international condemnation, with calls for the Taliban to end the prohibition on girls' and women's education and to reinstate female teachers. Efforts are being made to provide alternative learning solutions and support vulnerable communities, but the future of girls' education in Afghanistan remains uncertain.

The Taliban's impact on boys' education

Firstly, the dismissal of female teachers has had a detrimental effect on boys' education. The Taliban's ban on women working has resulted in the loss of many qualified female teachers, who have been replaced by unqualified male teachers or, in some cases, no teachers at all. This has led to a decline in educational quality, with students reporting that they are often left with no choice but to teach themselves.

Secondly, the Taliban's restrictions and curriculum changes have negatively impacted boys' education. Subjects like art, sports, English, and civics have been removed, with increased focus on religious studies and the promotion of discriminatory values. The Taliban's strict rules and emphasis on moral values, dress codes, and hairstyles have created a fearful and stressful learning environment.

Thirdly, the use of corporal punishment has become more prevalent in boys' schools under the Taliban. Students have reported being beaten, slapped, and humiliated during assemblies and classes, which is a violation of their human rights. The Taliban's Ministry of Education has been criticized for focusing solely on students' appearance, clothing, and phones rather than addressing low attendance rates.

The combination of these factors has led to a decline in school attendance among boys, as students lose motivation and hope for the future. The economic and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan have further exacerbated this issue, with families struggling to meet basic needs and boys being forced to leave school to support their families.

The Taliban's efforts to exert social control and remold society have resulted in wholesale changes to the education system for boys, mirroring the restrictions imposed on girls. These changes will have long-term harmful effects on Afghanistan's population and future.

The effect on curriculum and teaching methods

The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has had a detrimental impact on the country's education system, with far-reaching consequences for both boys and girls. The curriculum and teaching methods have been particularly affected, with efforts to indoctrinate students and promote discrimination. Here is a detailed look at the effects on curriculum and teaching methods:

Curriculum Changes

The Taliban have implemented sweeping changes to the curriculum, removing important subjects and promoting discriminatory ideologies. Subjects like sports, art, civics, and culture have been replaced with additional hours of Quran and Islamic studies. The Taliban's interpretation of Islamic values and their views on women's rights are emphasised, with little focus on academic subjects.

The Taliban's Education and Higher Education Commission established a committee to assess and modify the curriculum. The committee recommended removing visual arts, civic education, and culture, deeming them unnecessary and harmful. They proposed substituting these subjects with more "useful" subjects like agriculture.

The Taliban's curriculum changes aim to eliminate what they perceive as Western influence and non-Islamic values. They criticised the previous curriculum for promoting Western dress, human rights, democracy, and foreign culture. They also objected to the mention of non-Muslim religious figures and scientists, such as Victor Hugo and Shakespeare.

The Taliban's interpretation of women's rights within an Islamic framework is another concerning aspect of the curriculum changes. They aim to restrict women's roles in public life and promote misogynistic ideologies among boys.

Teaching Methods

The dismissal of female teachers by the Taliban has disrupted the education system, particularly for boys who were previously taught by women. The Taliban's ban on women's employment in education has resulted in a shortage of qualified teachers, with male replacements often lacking the necessary qualifications or teaching experience.

Students reported that the new male teachers exhibited aggressive behaviour and had limited teaching skills. In some cases, students were left with no teachers at all, forcing them to become self-taught. The language barrier has also been an issue, with some teachers speaking Pashto while students struggled to understand the language.

The use of corporal punishment has become more prevalent under the Taliban. Students reported being beaten, slapped, and humiliated during assemblies and classrooms for dress code violations, hairstyle choices, and possession of smartphones. The Taliban's strict rules and enforcement of their interpretation of Islamic values have created a fearful environment for students.

The overall quality of education has declined significantly due to these factors, and students have expressed a lack of hope for the future. The Taliban's policies and practices regarding curriculum and teaching methods have negatively impacted Afghan children's access to quality education.

The impact on school enrolment

Girls' Education

The Taliban's policies have particularly affected girls' access to education. In 2017, girls made up 39% of the 9.2 million pupils enrolled in school. However, since the Taliban's return to power, there have been serious concerns about the future of girls' education.

In September 2021, the Taliban banned teenage girls from attending secondary school, and in December 2022, they extended this ban to women, preventing them from pursuing higher education at universities. This has denied access to education for more than 100,000 young women.

Even before the Taliban's recent policies, girls' enrolment in Afghanistan was low due to insecurity, traditional norms, and practices related to societal expectations of girls and women. Additionally, a lack of female teachers, especially in rural schools, and inadequate sanitation facilities further hindered girls' attendance.

Boys' Education

While boys ostensibly retain access to education, the Taliban's policies have also negatively impacted boys' education. The prohibition of women's employment has resulted in the dismissal of female teachers, causing disruptions to boys' education as they were often taught by women. The Taliban have appointed unqualified male teachers as replacements, and in some cases, there are no teachers at all.

Overall Impact

The overall impact of the Taliban's policies has resulted in a decline in school enrolment. The educational progress that was largely concentrated in urban areas has been set back, and rural communities continue to face challenges in accessing education. The Taliban's capture of schools and educational spaces for radicalisation and indoctrination of students has further hindered enrolment.

The socio-political and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan have also critically affected the fragile education system, with natural disasters exacerbating the situation and raising parental concerns about safety. The economic crisis has forced many boys to leave school and seek work illegally in neighbouring countries.

International Response

The Taliban's violations of the right to education have prompted international condemnation, with calls for an immediate and effective response. Despite these concerns, the future of education in Afghanistan remains uncertain, and it is unclear whether the Taliban's ideology has changed or if their policies will promote ethnic and religious tolerance and cultural diversity.

The effect on Afghanistan's future

The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has had a devastating impact on the country's education system, and the implications for the future are dire. The gains made in the two decades following the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 have been largely undone, with school enrolment increasing from just under one million children in 2001 to 9.2 million in 2017, 39% of whom were girls.

The Taliban's ban on girls' and women's access to secondary and higher education has been widely condemned, but their policies are also harming boys' education. The dismissal of female teachers has left many boys without qualified instructors, and the curriculum is being revised to remove important subjects and promote discrimination. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, exacerbated by the Taliban's policies, has also placed greater demands on school-age children, leading many to drop out.

The lack of access to quality education will have far-reaching consequences for Afghanistan's future. Education is key to empowering learners, creating new visions, and providing employment opportunities. It is a means to help individuals secure a stable livelihood and promote peace and social justice. However, without equitable access and conflict-sensitive planning and delivery, education can fuel conflict by hardening socioeconomic inequalities and promoting values that are perceived as repressive and threatening to local ethnic, religious, and cultural groups.

The Taliban's efforts to control and shape the education system, particularly by indoctrinating youth with their ideology, will have harmful, long-term effects on Afghanistan's population. The country's future depends on ensuring that education promotes ethnic and religious tolerance, cultural diversity, and global citizenship.

To secure a better future for Afghanistan, it is imperative to address the current educational crisis. This includes advocating for the resumption of girls' and women's access to secondary and higher education, pressing for the rehiring of female teachers, and ensuring that the curriculum meets international standards and promotes inclusive values. International responses and support are crucial in addressing these challenges and mitigating the negative impacts on Afghanistan's youth and long-term prospects.

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