Afghanistan Abusive Education Policies: Taliban Schools Failing Boys Too

Nobody is happy in Afghanistan. The Taliban authorities are failing boys too. Two years after the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan’s population is still suffering and needs urgent humanitarian assistance. 

Since taking over Afghanistan, the Taliban authorities have conducted extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, torture and unlawful detention of people. They have also banned girls and women from attending secondary school and university. However, things are not looking good for men and boys too. 

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report titled, ‘Afghanistan: Taliban Schools Also Failing Boys’, to highlight the plight of boys in Taliban-led schools. According to the HRW report, Taliban’s “abusive” educational policies have harmed both girls and boys.

The 19-page HRW report, “‘Schools are Failing Boys Too’: The Taliban’s Impact on Boys’ Education in Afghanistan,” has said that Taliban are jeopardizing education for Afghan boys.

Sahar Fetrat, assistant women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said, “The Taliban are causing irreversible damage to the Afghan education system for boys as well as girls.”

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What happened to Afghan boys in Taliban schools?

Many Afghan boys are taught by unqualified people in Taliban schools. Sometimes, they also sit in classrooms with no teachers at all. Corporal punishment has also increased in schools, which is a blow to human rights.

Corporal punishment has led to increased fears among boys about attending school. This has violated boys’ rights to quality education. 

In an incident, a teacher beat a boy before the whole school for a haircut. Teachers also beat students for clothing infractions or for having a mobile phone. 

The Taliban government has also eliminated art, sports, English and civic education subjects. Sometimes, they sit for hours during the school day. 

The Taliban authorities have prioritized Islamic knowledge over basic literacy and numeracy. They have focused toward madrassas or religious schools.

The dismissal of qualified female teachers has affected the education system in the country. Boys are taught by unqualified male teachers who believe in beating students. Young Afghan boys are struggling with anxiety and depression.

In August, Taliban banned female students from attending school beyond third grade. The Ministry of Education’s officials asked the principals of schools and educational institutions to ensure that “girls over 10 years old are not allowed to study in primary schools.”