While secondary schools remain closed for girls, sources and residents from Badakhshan said that a religious school for girls has been built in Kohistan district in the province.
The residents said they send their daughters to such schools as they have no other option. They said the funds for religious schools are collected from the locals.
“After the closure of schools, all my students went to religious schools and learned the Holy Qur’an and Islamic subjects, but I learned the Holy Qur’an from my great-grandfather a long time ago, and I have no desire to go to such schools,” said Parwin, a female student from Badakhshan.
“It is true that the number of girls who go to madrasaa has increased every day, but I am actually afraid of going to such schools because the Holy Quran is always my example and guide, but sometimes the Mullahs who are in the madrassas act against the words of the Holy Quran,” said Farishta, a resident of Kohistan district in Badakhshan.
Last year, a religious school for boys was built in Kohistan district of Badakhshan, where 500 people are learning religious education.
Kohistan district is the third district of Badakhshan where a school was built for boys two years back with the help of locals where 500 people are engaged in Islamic teachings.
Some school teachers said that extremism is taught in such schools.
“The number of our students has increased. If in the past, our female students were 13, now they have multiplied and their number is increasing day by day. Their age ranges from 8 to 25 years old,” said a teacher who wished not to be named.
At the same time, Taliban officials in the Hajj and Awqaf Directorate in Badakhshan said that, “there are 46 private religious schools operating in the center of Badakhshan province, and nearly 700 girls and more than 700 boys are receiving religious education in these schools.”
