Want religious, modern subjects to be taught in Afghanistan: Taliban minister

Kabul [Afghanistan], January 3 (ANI): The Taliban wants both religious and modern subjects to be taught in Afghanistan, said Taliban acting minister of higher education Neda Mohammad Nadim on Tuesday.

He made these remarks at an event at Kabul University less than a month after a ban on female students attending higher education institutes drew flak from countries across the world, TOLOnews reported. “The curriculum revision and attention to progress are necessary for our society and is the way forward,” said Nadim.

Further Taliban appointed Deputy Minister of Higher Education Lotfullah Khairkhwah mentioned that the higher education curriculum will be prepared based on religious and national values with international educational standards.
The Tolo News further quotes Khairkhwah saying that “We ask our university lecturers to make a curriculum that can protect our nation and religious values,”.

This change in curriculum will be taking place in all faculties of universities.
Prior to this, in December last year, Nadim had said that there is no opposition to the barring of women from university education in the country.

Nadim said, “there has been no opposition to the education of girls as per the recent decree of this ministry”. He further said that the Taliban does not intend to oppose the education of the new generation but wants to develop a system according to the Islamic Sharia law and the values of Afghanistan.

The Taliban-appointed education minister also pointed out the formation of a joint commission between the education ministry and university professors to reiterate these sectors should prepare in accordance with the legal provisions of the church.
However, to express their frustration and anger on the issues of university education for female students banned by the

Taliban, many male students from private and public universities have gone on strike chanting slogans like “education for all or none”. Further Khaama Press report said that with Afghan women being deprived of getting an education, some university lecturers have resigned from their positions.

Contradicting Nadim’s opinion on the education ban for female students in Afghanistan, the Grand Imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, Ahmed El-Tayeb called for the Taliban to reconsider their decision to ban Afghan women from accessing university education, saying the decision contradicts Sharia.

The Grand Imam said that he “deeply” regrets the decision issued by the authorities in Afghanistan, preventing Afghan women’s access to university education.

Tayeb said he warns “Muslims and non-Muslims against believing or accepting that banning women’s education is approved in Islam. Indeed, Islam firmly denounces such banning since it contradicts the legal rights Islam equally guarantees for women and men,” he said.