Rising enrolment of girls in Madrasas as Taliban ban on female education continues in Afghanistan

The Taliban’s ban on female education in Afghanistan has had a devastating effect, depriving girls of the opportunity to pursue higher education and professional careers.

This has led to a surge in teenage girls enrolling in madrasas, or religious schools, which have been a part of Afghan life for centuries.

However, they do not provide the secular education needed for pursuing careers such as law, medicine, engineering, and journalism, which are still available to Afghan boys.

Many young women regard the madrasas as a method to meet their needs for education, camaraderie, and an excuse to leave their families. Yet, some students claim that the institutions will not support them in achieving their goals.

While Islamic education plays an important role in their lives, some students and teachers also hope to study secular subjects. A senior teacher in her early 20s at the Taalum-ul-Islam madrasa said religious education gave her a sense of happiness and peace, but she also wants to have access to the same rights as women under Islam.

The Taliban’s ban on female education has affected over 1 million girls, according to UNICEF. The ban on university education, combined with the ban on working for NGOs, has left thousands of educated women unable to do their jobs and forced many aid groups to partially suspend operations during a humanitarian crisis.

Madrasas offer one of the final avenues of learning left for girls and women, according to sources affiliated with the Centre on Armed Groups. While they cannot replace formal schools, madrasas are a way for girls to continue their education and learn about their faith.

Four officials, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter stated that they privately backed secondary education for girls.

They also said that supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and his close advisers had driven the school ban.

However, Akhundzada could not be reached for comment on any tensions within the administration over female education.