RASC News Agency: Habibullah Agha, the acting Minister of Education under the Taliban regime, has instructed students at a high school in Kandahar province to align their appearance with that of Taliban members. According to sources, Agha visited Ahmad Shahi High School on Tuesday, December 17, during his trip to Kandahar. During his address, Agha claimed that the Ministry of Education is working to eliminate what he described as a divide between secular schools and religious madrasas through various strategies. He urged students to integrate modern education with religious studies, framing this as a priority for the regime.
However, observers have criticized Agha’s statements, noting that no such divide has ever existed in Afghanistan. They also argue that the Taliban’s actions over the past three years demonstrate their disdain for formal education systems, including schools and universities. Today, the nation’s administration is overwhelmingly dominated by individuals educated exclusively in madrasas, with nearly 90% of them having never attended a formal school. The Taliban’s Education Department in Kandahar confirmed Agha’s visit in an official statement. This event follows another controversial incident in the Guzara district of Herat province, where Taliban authorities mandated male students to shave their heads and wear traditional skullcaps.
In a leaked audio recording, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada was heard issuing an explicit directive for the closure of all schools across Afghanistan, encompassing both boys’ and girls’ institutions. This directive underscores the Taliban’s entrenched antagonism toward formal education, further eroding an already fragile educational infrastructure and dashing hopes for progress in the war-torn country.
