A number of female teachers say they have been dismissed by the Taliban without any compensation or pension benefits, plunging many into deep economic distress.
The teachers, some of whom have worked for decades within Afghanistan’s public school system, are protesting the abrupt loss of livelihood and demanding that their owed wages be paid.
In addition to dismissals, female educators report that their salaries have been repeatedly cut and some have been reassigned to distant schools under Taliban orders. Meanwhile, government employees facing dismissal assert that the process has been arbitrary and lacks transparency.
“I have tought more than 35 years. Now that I have lost my spouse, and I don’t have children. I am jobless now. I am not paid pension. I don’t know what to do,” said Madina, a teacher.
Madina’s situation is not unique. Many female teachers interviewed by Amu TV say they were pressured into resigning or terminated outright, often without notice or severance pay.
“At fist, our salary was reduced to 5,000 Afghanistan from 7,000. But we were now paid 3,000 afghanis. We don’t know how to afford this. We are living in one place but we have been assigned to a far school, which is difficult and costly to reach the school,” said a female teacher.
A public employee described the layoffs as indiscriminate and unfairly targeted.
“We’re on the verge of dismissal. Our colleagues are dismissed every day. We’re concerned what to do. The dismissals have been selective and without legal basis,” a public employee said.
Economists caution that the arbitrary removal of experienced female teachers and civil servants may further destabilize Afghanistan’s already fragile economy and deepen existing inequalities.
These policies could undermine public services at a time when the country can least afford it,” said economist Sayed Masood. “They harm not just the individuals affected, but the broader educational system.”
In Kandahar, sources revealed that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered a 20 percent reduction in government staffing. Critics warn that these cuts are being carried out haphazardly, stripping public institutions of expertise and disproportionately affecting women.
As dismissals continue, educators and civil servants are calling for due process, transparency, and the restoration of their salaries and pensions—calls that, so far, have gone unanswered.
