At least 50 private schools have remained closed in eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar and Laghman after the Taliban takeover mainly due to budget issues for running the business, leaving hundreds unemployed.
The schools are part of hundreds of private schools that have been closed accross the country after the fall of the previous government, mainly due to lack of budget and students.
“During the last one year of Taliban rule, 50 schools have stopped functioning in Nangarhar, Kunar and Laghman provinces due to economic problems,” said Raees-ul-Haq Nasiri, head of the association of private schools in the east, told Amu on Thursday.
He said that some of the closed schools have auctioned their teaching materials at half price.
Nasiri added that with the closure of private schools, not only hundreds of teachers have become unemployed, but it has also had a negative impact on students’ education.
“The Taliban takeover gave a severe economic blow to the people. Every sector has been affected,” he said.
Nasiri noted that high taxes by the Taliban, high electricity bills, lack of space, and diccifulties in receiving liscence are main reasons for the closure of private schools.
He added that he has shared the problems of private schools with the Ministry of Education of the Taliban, but despite the promises, nothing has been done to solve them.
Owners of private schools in Nangarhar also have the same complaint who said schooling has been disrupted and thousands of students have been deprived of education.
Nangarhar residents said they are worried about the closure of schools and they want the Taliban to save the educational process from weakening.
“I admitted my three sons in a private school. I had a job before, but now my economic situation is not good and I cannot pay the fee,” saidAbdul Ghani, a resident of Nangarhar.
Taliban’s Ministry of Education did not comment on the matter, but a Taliban spokesman in Nangarhar blamed the previous government for the problem.
Farhad Stanakzai, the spokesperson of the Taliban for the education department, rejected the remarks on the closure of private schools in the eastern provinces and said the problem is left over from the previous government.
According to sources,more than 200 schools have been closed countrywide for various reasons since last August after Taliban takeover of Afghanistan amidst concerns over ban on girls schooling in the country.
The schools used to pay nearly 100 million Afs ($1.1 million) in annual tax to the government, according to the union of private schools.
