Neda Mohammad Nadeem, Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Higher Education asked the university professors to train the new generation in “religious studies” besides professional education.
Taliban’s ministry of higher education in a statement on Sunday said that Minister Nadeem in an opening ceremony of the curriculum development of language and literature, journalism, and social sciences departments, stated that religious education should become a major component of the university curriculum.
He said the Taliban-run administration is preparing the education curriculum in such a way that should meet the requirements of the people and community.
The statement further added that Mr. Nadeem asked the university lecturers to train the young generation in religious studies besides professional education so that they are well equipped with Islamic beliefs and committed to serving the people and country with integrity and pride.
It is believed that the focus of the Taliban regime is concentrated on supporting religious education more than anything else.
This comes as schools have been closed for girls above grade six throughout Afghanistan for the past year – the emphasize is placed on establishing religious schools (madrasas) across the country, instead.
The closure of girls’ schools and universities has prompted worldwide condemnations, calling for the Taliban regime to lift the bans and allow female students to benefit from their natural civic rights. However, the ruling regime has its own priorities and pursues a rather extreme version of the Islamic Sharia laws.
Some educationists and political experts describe the move as quite dangerous for the young generation. They believe placing extra importance on religious studies would cause the generation to lag behind in mastering modern education, which will subsequently make them vulnerable to compete on global stages.
