KABUL (SW) – The recent remarks by the Deputy Director General of Intelligence of the Islamic Emirate s about the school syllabus has sparked concerns and outrage among the academic circles.
Rahmatullah Najib, the Deputy Director General of Intelligence of the Islamic Emirate, told a public rally in Kabul on Monday that the curriculum during the previous government was not in line with Islamic law. He also said that the behavior of female students, the way they studied, trained and sat in the classrooms during the that period, was also not in accordance with Islamic law.
“If we compare the previous curriculum with Sharia, with Islam and with jurisprudence, you would agree that in it does not comply as far as the education, conduct and behaviour of the girls was concerned”.
However, a number of girls’ school academics and education ministry officials of the previous government have denied the allegations by the deputy head of the Islamic Emirate’s intelligence department. They say the curriculum for the education, clothing, training and conduct of female students is not in conflict with Islam what so ever.
Fazl Hadi Vazin, a university professor and academic member of the curriculum of the Ministry of Education in the previous government, called the statements by Najib as unfounded and told Salam Watandar that the country’s curriculum was compiled under the supervision of religious scholars and experienced professors.
According to Mr. Vazin, Afghanistan’s curriculum is the “most Islamic” curriculum in the region. He added: “To say that the current curriculum is in conflict with Islam is a baseless statement.”
At the same time, Siddiq Patman, the former deputy minister of education in the previous government, also rejected the claim and said that Afghanistan’s education curriculum was in no way contrary to Islam. “Afghanistan’s curriculum has never been against religion,” he added.
On the other hand, Kabir Haqmal, the head of the curriculum and publications of the Ministry of Education in the previous government, told Salam Watandar that the officials of the Islamic Emirate should read the school textbooks thoroughly and that he [Kabir Haqmal] would be held accountable if they found anything contrary to Islam.
Kabir Haqmal added that out of all the textbooks, more than 180 to 200 volumes are only related to the Islamic education section. According to him, the beginning of every school book is in the name of Allah and the national anthem.
According to Mr. Haqmal, one of the themes that the Islamic Emirate opposed was the theme of culture, which discussed national celebrations such as independence and Nowruz. “Fortunately, we had an Islamic curriculum, and no one can prove that it was un-Islamic,” he said.
An administrator of a girls’ school and a student of a girls’ school in Kabul told Salam Watandar that the clothes and behavior of the girls’ students were completely in accordance with Islamic law. They considered the statements by the Deputy Director General of Intelligence of the Islamic Emirate as an excuse to stop the girls from continuing their education.
It should be noted that the officials of the Islamic Emirate have considered that one of the reasons for stopping girls above the sixth grade from going to school is the incompatibility of girls’ clothing with Islam and the Afghan culture. Islamic Emirate officials have repeatedly told the media that all schools will be reopened soon.
However, the Ministry of Education recently announced that it is waiting for the leadership of the Islamic Emirate to reopen girls’ schools.
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