RASC News Agency: Private universities in Herat province have reported a significant decline in student enrollment following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Musa Barati, a student at a Herat university, told RASC News Agency on Monday, May 20, that enthusiasm and motivation among young people for education have drastically diminished under Taliban rule compared to the Republic era.
He noted that a substantial number of teachers and students from Herat have left Afghanistan for other countries since the Taliban’s takeover. According to Barati, the rate of emigration from Afghanistan has increased considerably. Similarly, Omid Karimi, another student from Herat, told RASC News Agency that the quality of the education system has significantly deteriorated compared to the past.
Karimi added that education has faced severe challenges under the Taliban, leading many students to abandon their studies. He continued that the overall atmosphere at universities and the teaching methods have become problematic under Taliban rule. Meanwhile, a local source in western Afghanistan, who wished to remain anonymous, told RASC News Agency that a higher percentage of professors from both public and private universities in Herat have sought refuge in Asian and European countries due to their opposition to Taliban ideology.
The source added that university professors have preferred migration over remaining under the uncertain conditions brought by the Taliban’s dominance. Taliban officials in western Afghanistan have not commented on this matter. There has been a notable decline in the number of students enrolled in both public and private universities in western Afghanistan compared to the period of the Republic.