Despite claims of budget cuts and the elimination of thousands of teaching positions, the Taliban Ministry of Education has spent millions of Afghanis on building religious schools.
Last month, the Taliban Ministry of Education began building or operating nine religious schools in Kabul, Ghazni, Paktia, Kandahar, and Faryab provinces, with a reported cost of more than 50 million Afghanis.
During the recent visit of the acting minister to Faryab, construction of two more schools began with government funding, while two more are currently being renovated.
This comes at a time when, on the orders of the Taliban leader, more than 89,000 positions are being eliminated from the Ministry of Education structure; a process that has now removed a number of teachers, women, the elderly, and even university professors from their duties without any evaluation or legal process.
At the same time, sources have reported a sharp reduction in teachers’ salaries; with some teachers with bachelor’s degrees receiving only 4,500 Afghanis.
Researchers warn that the Taliban’s focus on religious schools not only narrows the educational space, but also provides a platform for the spread of extremism.
