KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities have once again arrested nine teachers from the Ofuqi Naw Educational Center in central Daikundi province, local sources report.
According to the source, the teachers were summoned to the Taliban’s court in Sangtakht and Bandar district on Wednesday (February 26) and later detained by the group’s police.
They had previously been arrested on January 13 and released on bail three days later.
The Taliban justified the latest arrests by accusing the teachers of “promoting a foreign culture” and claimed the center’s curriculum violated their strict interpretation of Islamic law due to a lack of religious content.
Earlier reports suggested the closures were primarily due to the center’s education of female students, which the Taliban have banned since regaining power in August 2021.
The Ofuqi Naw Educational Center operated four branches in Sangtakht and Bandar district, offering English and computer skills courses. These centers, along with others in the Khedir district of Daikundi, as well as in Ghor and Bamyan provinces, have been shut down by the Taliban, with teachers and staff arrested.
The closures and arrests are part of the Taliban’s broader crackdown on education for girls and women. Since returning to power, they have systematically rolled back women’s rights, banning girls from secondary schools, universities, and other educational institutions, including English language centers.
Human rights organizations and the United Nations have condemned these measures, describing the Taliban’s policies as gender apartheid.
