The Taliban’s Ministry of Education has announced that it has established 269 schools and nearly 23000 Islamic education centres (madrasas) across Afghanistan over the past three years.
According to the ministry, more than 300000 students have enrolled in these institutions during this period. State-run television, now under Taliban control, reported that 22972 religious seminaries have been established since 2021, with over 216000 male and approximately 91000 female students currently studying at these centres.
The ministry also stated that, under orders from Taliban supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, 420 dormitories were established during the fiscal year 2024–2025 across various provinces. These facilities are reportedly housing more than 21,000 madrasa students.
Based on official data, a total of 1999734 boys and 1489449 girls have been registered in these educational institutions over the past three years.
However, the rapid expansion of Islamic education has raised concerns among analysts and education experts, who warn that such growth may contribute to the spread of the Taliban’s ideological agenda and fuel radicalisation.
This development comes against the backdrop of the Taliban’s continued ban on girls attending secondary schools and universities, a policy in place since their return to power in 2021, which has left thousands of girls without access to formal education.
