Mahjooba Nowrouzi
BBC Afghan Service, Kabul
Bbc
Girls taught at Shaikh Abdul Qadr Jilani Madrassa
Amina will never forget the moment when her childhood has changed. She was only 12 years old when she was told that she could no longer go to school like boys.
The new school year began on Saturday in Afghanistan, but for the fourth consecutive year, girls over 12 were prohibited from taking lessons.
“All my dreams have been broken,” she said, her fragile voice filled with emotion.
Amina, now 15, has always wanted to become a doctor. As a little girl, she suffered from a cardiac malice and underwent surgery. The surgeon who saved her life was a woman – an image that remained with her and inspired her to study seriously.
But in 2021, when the Taliban resumed power in Afghanistan, Amina’s dream was suddenly suspended.
“When my father told me that schools were closed, I was really sad. It was a very bad feeling,” she said quietly. “I wanted to get an education so that I could become a doctor.”
The restrictions on the education of adolescent girls, imposed by the Taliban, affected more than a million girls, according to UNICEF, the UN children’s agency.
Now, Madrassas – religious centers focused on Islamic lessons – have become the only way for many women and adolescents to access education. However, those whose families can afford private tuition fees can still have access to materials, including mathematics, science and languages.
Although Madrassas are considered by some as a way to offer young women access to part of the education they have had in general public schools, others say that they are not substitutes and that there are brainwashing concerns.
Amina dreamed of becoming a doctor
I meet Amina in the weakly enlightened subsoil of Al-Hadith Madassa in Kabul, a newly established private religious educational center for around 280 students of various ages.
The basement is cold, with cardboard walls and lively cooling in the air. After discussing for about 10 minutes, our toes are already numb.
Al-Hadith Madrassa was founded a year ago by Amina’s brother, Hamid, who felt obliged to act after seeing the toll that the prohibition of education had inflicted on him.
“When the girls were denied education, my sister’s dream of becoming a heart surgeon was crushed, considerably affecting his well-being,” said Hamid, who is at the start of the thirties.
“Having the chance to go back to school, as well as learning the midwife and first aid, made him feel much better in his future,” he adds.
Afghanistan remains the only country where women and girls are prohibited from secondary and higher education.
The Taliban government initially suggested that the prohibition would be temporary, pending the fulfillment of certain conditions, such as an “Islamic” program. However, there has been no progress towards the reopening of schools for older girls over the years.
In January 2025, a report from the Afghan Human Rights Center suggested that Madrassas are used to pursue the ideological objectives of the Taliban.
The report alleys that the “extremist content” has been integrated into their study program.
He says that the manuals recommended by the Taliban promote his political and military activities and have prohibited the mixture of men and women, as well as to approve the forced port of the hijab.
The Afghan Human Rights Center calls for the prohibition of elderly girls who attend school a “systematic and targeted violation” of their right to quality education.
Before the Taliban’s return, the number of madrassas recorded would have been around 5,000. They focus on religious education, which includes Koranic studies, hadithmes, sharia and in Arabic.
But since the restrictions on the education of girls were introduced, some have widened the teaching of materials, in particular chemistry, physics, mathematics and geography, and languages like Dari, Pashto and English.
Although some madrassas have tried to present a midwife and first aid training, the Taliban prohibited medical training for women in December from last year.
Hamid founded a Madrassa after the ban on the education of the Taliban
Hamid said he was dedicated to providing education that mixes religious matters and other academic matters with girls of secondary age.
“Socialization with other girls again made my sister happy again,” he said with a smile, clearly proud of the resilience of his sister.
We visit another Madrassa managed independently in Kabul.
Shaikh Abdul Qadr Jilani Madrassa educates more than 1,800 girls and women from five to 45 years old. Classes are organized by the ability of students rather than age. We were able to visit under strict supervision.
Like Al-Hadath Madrassa, it is cold freezing. The three -story building has no heating, and some classrooms lacked doors and windows.
In a large room, two courses in the Koran and a sewing class take place simultaneously, because a group of girls wearing hijabs and black face masks is sitting on the carpet.
The only heat source of the school is a small electric radiator in the director’s second floor office, Mohammad Ibrahim Barakzai.
Mr. Barakzai tells me that academic materials are taught alongside religious those.
But when I ask for proofs of this, the staff are looking for some time before going out a few manuals of mathematics and tatters in tatters.
Meanwhile, classrooms are full of religious texts.
Girls study at Shaikh Abdul Qadr Jilani Madrassa
This Madrassa is divided into two sections: formal and informal.
The formal section covers subjects such as languages, history, science and Islamic studies. The informal section covers Koranic studies, hadiths, Islamic law and practical skills such as sewing.
In particular, graduates of the informal section are more numerous than those in the formal section from 10 to one.
Hadiya, 20 years old, is recently graduated from Madrassa after studying a wide range of materials, including mathematics, physics, chemistry and geography.
She speaks passionately about chemistry and physics. “I love science. Everything is a question of matter and the way these concepts relate to the world around me,” she said.
Hadiya now teaches the Koran at Madrassa, because she tells me that there was not enough request for her favorite subjects.
Safia, also 20 years old, teaches the Pashto language of Al-Hadith Madassa. She passionately believes that girls in religious centers should improve what she has described as their personal development.
It focuses on FIQH, the Islamic legal framework essential to daily Muslim practices.
“Fiqh is not included in traditional schools or universities. As a Muslim woman, studying FIQH is vital for the improvement of women,” she said.
“Understand concepts such as Ghusl – Ablution – Distinctions in prostration between sexes and prerequisites for prayer are crucial.”
Safia teaches language lessons in a Madrassa
However, she adds that Madrassas “cannot replace schools and consumer universities”.
“Educational institutions, including traditional schools and universities, are absolutely essential for our society. The closure of these establishments would result in a gradual drop in knowledge in Afghanistan,” she warns.
Tawqa, 13, is a calm and reserved student who also studies at Shaikh Abdul Qadr Jilani Madrassa. From a devout family, she attended lessons with her older sister.
“Religious subjects are my favorites,” she said. “I like to learn the type of hijab that a woman should wear, how she should treat her family, how to treat her brother and her husband well and never be rude with them.”
“I want to become a religious missionary and share my faith with people around the world.”
Lessons in Shaikh Abdul Qadr Jilani Madrassa include religious studies and practical skills
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has raised serious concerns concerning the restrictive education system of the Taliban in “Madrassa” style.
He underlined the need to restore the education possibilities for girls beyond the sixth year and for women in higher education.
Bennett warned that this limited education, combined with high unemployment and poverty, “could promote radical ideologies and increase the risk of local terrorism, threatening regional and global stability”.
The Taliban Ministry of Education says that about three million students in Afghanistan are registered in these religious educational centers.
He promised to reopen girls’ schools under certain conditions, but that has not yet materialized.
Despite all the challenges that Amina has been faced – her health difficulties and the ban on education – she remains a spanning.
“I always believe that one day the Taliban will allow schools and universities to reopen,” she said with conviction. “And I will realize my dream of becoming a heart surgeon.”
