Taliban’s Ministry of Education has removed 51 lessons from school curriculum that dealt with freedom, women’s rights, human rights, national symbols, and other social themes, saying they contradict Islamic teachings and the group’s policies.
According to a letter issued by the ministry’s Kabul directorate on 15 September, the directive applies to grades one through twelve and was approved by the Taliban’s Prime Minister’s Office. Provincial education officials have been ordered to implement the changes immediately.
The letter, seen by Afghanistan International, instructed teachers to stop covering lessons on subjects including homeland, the national flag, democracy, peace, women’s rights, motherhood, the Buddha statues, the Red Flower festival, and humanitarian values.
The ministry also directed the Taliban’s Department of Preaching and Guidance to monitor compliance and report back.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have reshaped the curriculum by expanding religious instruction and establishing hundreds of new madrassas. Officials have repeatedly said that any content deemed inconsistent with Sharia or Afghan culture will be removed.
The curriculum overhaul has sparked concern among Afghans and international observers. Foreign Policy magazine recently described the Taliban-run education system as a “new Taliban army,” arguing that schools are being transformed into religious seminaries.
In higher education, Taliban officials have also reduced hours for core university subjects while tripling those devoted to Islamic culture, according to sources in the Ministry of Higher Education.
