In Afghanistan’s Taliban-controlled Schools, Girls Sacrifice Dreams for Education Amid Crackdown on Women’s Rights

In a girls-only religious school on the outskirts of Kabul, a teenager, her face obscured, shares her dreams of becoming a doctor, shattered by the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan. Her classmate clutches her arm, aware of the risks associated with criticism of the ruling government.

Amidst a crackdown on women’s rights, the Taliban has closed all secondary and higher education institutions for girls across the country. The ban is part of a broader restriction on women’s freedoms, which includes dictating their attire, travel restrictions, and mandatory male companionship for travel.

In July this year, the International Criminal Court sought arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders, citing persecution of women and girls as evidence of crimes against humanity. The Taliban responded by branding the court as displaying “enmity and hatred” towards Islam.

Initially, the Taliban promised that the suspension of female education would be temporary, but four years on, it appears that the fundamentalist faction is gaining ground. Mainstream schools, universities, and healthcare training centers remain inaccessible to half the population. According to a UNESCO report published in March, nearly 1.5 million girls have been barred from attending secondary school since 2021.

The acting Minister of Higher Education, Nida Mohammad Nadim, explained the school closures on state TV in December 2022, stating that girls were not adhering to the prescribed hijab dress code and that their studies in agriculture and engineering contradicted Afghan culture.

Despite this, the number of madrasas educating both boys and girls has risen sharply across Afghanistan. Over the past three years, 22,972 state-funded madrasas have been established.

The Naji-e-Bashra madrasa, where CNN recently gained access to film, has seen a surge in enrollment since the Taliban began denying girls mainstream education. The institution is run under the Taliban’s guidelines and teaches a curriculum focused primarily on Islamic studies. Due to its private funding from privileged families, the school can offer some additional courses in languages and science alongside religious studies.

The Taliban unveiled their plans for the school curriculum in 2022, revealing changes that according to a report by the Afghanistan Human Rights Center, promote violence, oppose tolerance, peace, and human rights values. The report alleges that the Taliban has amended history, geography, and religious textbooks, and prohibited the teaching of concepts such as democracy, women’s rights, and human rights.

The principal of Naji-e-Bashra madrasa, Shafiullah Dilawar, a self-proclaimed supporter of the Taliban, claims that the curriculum is beneficial for mothers raising good children. He denies suggestions that these institutions are being used to further the Taliban’s ideological goals.

Despite the Taliban’s rejection of interview requests, many girls and women in Afghanistan view madrasas as a poor substitute for the education they had access to before the chaotic US withdrawal in 2021. A 23-year-old woman from Kabul, known only by the pseudonym Nargis, reflects on her lost dreams of becoming a successful businesswoman and university student.

After being barred from attending classes and losing her job, Nargis took it upon herself to teach 45 girls aged 12 and above at her home every morning before dawn. She has no support or funding and often the students share textbooks and writing materials. Together, they study mathematics, science, computing, and English, with Nargis drawing from all the knowledge she’s ever accumulated to impart it to her students.

The risks are high, as Taliban security guards monitor the girls’ movements. Just two months ago, members of the Taliban raided Nargis’s home, leading to her imprisonment and a reprimand for her work. Despite the danger, Nargis remains determined not to abandon her students. She switched locations and continued teaching.

USAID-funded educational programs, including community-based education, study abroad programs, and online scholarships, have been affected by funding cuts under the Trump administration. Many of these programs are now winding down, leaving girls like Nargis without the means to further their education. The cancellation of her own studies was a significant blow, symbolizing not only the loss of her aspirations but also her dreams for the future.