The Taliban has established a new jihadist school in northeastern Panjshir Province with a capacity for 1,000 students.
The school aims to educate young people in “true Islamic teachings” using methodologies and books that date back to “1400 years ago.”
The Taliban Minister of Education, Habibullah Agha, attended the opening ceremony along with other senior Taliban officials. The Taliban’s newly appointed head of the Panjshir Jihadi School, Maulvi Masihullah, said that the teaching method and curriculum are based on traditional religious education.
Qiamuddin Hanif, head of the Taliban Ulama Council in Panjshir, criticized previous government-funded religious schools for educating illiterate mullahs who “did not have the slightest religious knowledge.”
At the opening ceremony, Abdullah Sadid, the head of the Taliban court in Panjshir, stated that the Taliban aim to return the people to true Islamic teachings.
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The group’s Minister of Education urged parents to enroll their children in religious schools, which he claimed were the foundation of the Islamic system. The Taliban has already established similar “Jihadi Schools” in all provinces of the country, and talks of plans to establish more.
Some have expressed concern that the teaching method used in these schools promotes extremism.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has banned girls above the sixth grade from attending school. The group’s Minister of Education stated that the conditions for girls to return to school are not favorable, but that they are working to provide Islamic conditions for girls to attend school.
