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Taliban teach religious subjects in Ghazni schools

Taliban teach religious subjects in Ghazni schools

author avatar
25 Aug 2016 - 20:06
Taliban teach religious subjects in Ghazni schools
author avatar
25 Aug 2016 - 20:06

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): Taliban militants have mixed their own curriculum with the one being taught at government-run schools in southern Ghazni province, officials say.

Education officer for the Andar district, Taza Gul Nangyalai, told Pajhwok Afghan News the armed rebels had increased the number of religious subjects in schools in various areas of the district.

He said the Taliban had appointed clerics to teach the religious subjects to students. He said the clerics used to reach schools in-time.

“I and the district chief visited the education minister and shared the issue with him. The minister said we should accept Taliban’s demand and increase the number of religious subjects.”

Nangyalai said the Taliban had initially objections over some subjects but later the matter was settled.

Ghazni provincial council chief Hamidullah Nawroz also confirmed the Taliban had increased the number of religious subjects in schools located in insecure areas.

“It is better to accept Taliban demands instead of letting the schools to be closed by them,” the public representative said.

He also said textbooks and other reaching materials did not reach students in-time in a number of areas and as a result, students had to face many problems.

Nawroz urged the education department to timely dispatch teaching materials to schools in order students could continue their studies uninterrupted.

A student in Andar district, Jan Mohammad, said: “Taliban come to our school and say pupils should be taught religious subjects.” He said Taliban teachers taught most of the schools in the district.

A resident of Deh Yak district, Abdul Khaliq, said Taliban themselves taught lessons to students in the district schools.

“Taliban say girls above the age of 10 years should not go to school and instead should go to mosques for religious education.”

Khaliq said the Taliban had appointed a religious scholar in their area teaching religious subjects to girls.

“Taliban have fixed 500 afghanis per month on each household to pay the teacher salary.”

According to him, in addition to Deh Yak and Andar district, the Taliban have increased the number of religious subjects in schools in Zankhan, Rashidan, Gilan, Ab Band and Khogyani districts.

However, Ghazni Education Director Mohammad Abid Abid said the Taliban had not increased religious subjects but religious scholars in some areas were cooperating with the education process.

“Religious scholars visit schools and teach religious lessons to students, but none of the other subjects is banned.”

However, the education director did not say who provides salaries to the religious scholars and who have appointed them.

While Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they had banned some books in a number of Ghazni schools and replaced them with religious subjects.

“We have removed books in the name of culture and terrorism and have added religious books to the curriculum,” said Mujahid, who added the religious teachers belonged to them.

Besides Ghazni, the Taliban have increased religious books to the curriculum in a number of insecure areas in other provinces and the subjects are being taught by Taliban clerics.

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