Madrasahs Get a Makeover
Government-backed religious schools teach more than religion
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN—At the Imam Hanifa madrasah, some 750 elementary and high school students come from Afghan provinces far and wide to attend classes. As they sit at wooden desks beneath high white tents, boys in prayer hats and baseball caps study not only the Koran but also geography, English, and philosophy.
The religious school, funded by the Ministry of Education, represents a new experiment for the government. Long reluctant to engage in religious education, the ministry has steered clear of madrasahs, widely regarded in the West as the ultraconservative training grounds of the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan until 2001.
But now, the government is hoping to create a new generation of moderate religious leaders by funding madrasahs that teach not only religion but also math and science—subjects banned under the Taliban. These madrasahs are an effort to counteract the influence of Taliban forces that use "education as a weapon of terrorism," says Education Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar.
Teachers, though, remain wary of the ministry trying to exert too much control over the curriculum, especially if it is channeling suggestions from countries such as the United States. "If the Ministry of Education is independent and isn't influenced by foreign countries that suggest things in the curriculum, that's good," says the school's deputy director, Sayed Sakhidad.
But he emphasizes that his school would welcome more support in other ways, notably completing new dormitories. Now, just the rough frame of one stands empty and looks abandoned. "We could use that building," says a student. "Instead, we study in tents because of government delays." When construction is completed, the school expects to house 500 students, up from 300 now.
In the meantime, students are anxious to get computer training, but teachers with those skills are expensive and tough to find. And there's another problem. Electricity at the school is spotty at best, sometimes only a couple of hours a day. At night, students study by kerosene lamps and candlelight.
The seniors here say that they are optimistic about the future of their country, where they aspire to work not only as religious scholars but also in businesses and government. Still, they say, unemployment is a problem. If that continues, they fear that some of their friends in rural areas may look elsewhere for money and purpose. "Unemployment is the main reason there's violence in the country," says one senior. "And if it keeps rising in the country, obviously the Taliban will get more strength, and people will join them."
This story appears in the June 11, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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