The Taliban’s Ministry of Education has opened or laid the foundations for four new religious seminaries across Afghanistan in the past week, at a time when schools remain closed for girls beyond sixth grade.
Ministry records show that the four madrassas cost over 25 million afghanis (roughly $354,000). Nearly 20 million afghanis were allocated to the “Nakhil” madrasa in Paktika Province, while smaller sums funded the Jamia Tayyiba in Wazikhah (Paktika), Zananeh Tayyiba in Khwaja Omari (Ghazni), and Taleem al‑Quran Labanaat in Bagram (Parwan), each receiving about 1 million afghanis.
Two of the schools are already operating, while the other two remain at the foundation stage. According to ministry figures, the Taliban have completed five religious schools and begun construction on six others during the past three months. Across 19 provinces, they report having built 35 general schools and five seminaries, with an additional 20 schools and six religious institutes under development.
Ministry spokesman Mansoor Ahmad Hamza framed the expansion as part of a “balanced” educational agenda. “These initiatives reflect our commitment to build both secular and religious institutions,” he said, insisting the new schools are intended to complement existing structures.
But critics express concern that the emphasis on religious seminaries threatens modern education. Abdul Ahad Farzam, an education activist, said the shift reflects a deliberate sidelining of secular learning. “By prioritizing madrassas, the Taliban are marginalizing contemporary education and using these schools for future consolidation of power,” he cautioned.
Alongside this madrassa expansion, the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has awarded bachelor’s and master’s degrees to nearly 2,500 religious-school graduates, including students of Pakistan’s Haqqania seminary in Akora Khattak. Rights advocates warn this signal a formalization of an Islamist academic pipeline while eroding modern higher education.
