KABUL — The Taliban’s Ministry of Education has opened at least 43 new religious schools across various provinces in the past six months, while also beginning construction on three more, according to official data from the ministry.
The report states that these projects, costing a total of over 100 million afghanis, have been implemented in provinces including Bamiyan, Balkh, Paktia, Paktika, Sar-e-Pul, Kapisa, Farah, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Khost, Ghazni, Laghman, and Maidan Wardak.
According to Taliban records, 14 religious schools were opened in October, six in November, six in December, 15 in January, one in February, and one in March.
Additionally, the ministry announced in March that at least eight jeribs of land had been allocated for the construction of three new religious schools in Bamiyan and Paktika.
The schools include Khwaja Abdal Religious School in Kicheh village, Shibar district, Bamiyan (3.5 jeribs of land), Imam Azam Religious School in Imendab village, Shibar district, Bamiyan (3 jeribs), and Paktika Provincial Religious School (1.5 jeribs).
Some Afghans have criticized the Taliban’s focus on religious education, arguing that the government is prioritizing madrasa construction over reopening girls’ schools, which remain closed beyond sixth grade.
“When boys’ schools already exist and the curriculum has been revised, spending such a large amount on religious schools makes no sense,” said Nabila, a resident of Badghis.
Zohra, from Faryab, echoed similar concerns, saying: “Encouraging students to attend religious schools only fuels extremism. Universities remain closed, yet the Taliban continue to expand religious institutions.”
Despite these concerns, the Taliban’s Ministry of Education has maintained that expanding and strengthening religious schools is a top priority in Afghanistan.
Official Taliban figures indicate that over 21,000 religious schools are currently active across the country, with three million students enrolled—one million of whom are children.
