The administrative Deputy of the Taliban government’s Prime Minister, Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, stated that educational institutions should conform to international standards during the ceremony introducing the new acting Minister of Higher Education.
The Taliban’s former Acting Minister of Higher Education, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, previously stated that he would align the curriculum with international standards.
The Taliban’s new Minister of Higher Education, Neda Mohammad Nadim, was introduced by Deputy PM Hanafi on Saturday, October 22, during a ceremony in Kabul, who also urged private universities to enforce international standards.
Nadim, who formerly held the position of Taliban governor for Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, stated in the ceremony that the academic curriculum will be produced in accordance with Islamic Sharia and international standards.
However, there has been a significant backlash against the Taliban’s approach in academic institutions because; over the past year, and due to the Taliban’s influence, there have been significant changes in Afghan universities.
There has been a threefold increase in the teaching of religious subjects, an 80% drop in student enrollment in some faculties, widespread gender segregation, and the hiring of professors with inadequate education.
All these occurrences demonstrate how Afghan educational institutions have deviated enormously from so-called international standards and have become religious hotspots.
There are currently 7 students in the class out of a total of 60, according to a graphic design department student at Kabul University. Despite the fact that the core subjects are not properly taught, he asserts that only the subject of Islamic Studies is taught seriously.
“Religious requirements were not fulfilled in our educational institutions and the influence of the West on the youth was high,” Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the former head of the Taliban Ministry of Higher Education stated in an attempt to justify the curricula modification.
