Primary school children in Afghanistan to be educated at mosques

All Afghan primary school pupils in the first three years are to be educated at mosques to give students a "powerful Islamic identity", in an unprecedented move that has drawn widespread public criticism.

The Ministry of Education plan foresees that students from grade one to three would attend their nearest mosque, according to a ministry statement published late on Saturday.

After completing their third year at a mosque, the students would continue their education at normal non-religious schools, the statement said. The plan is aimed at giving Islam a more central role in education, the statement said.

The announcement has already sparked widespread criticism, as many believe the move would further encourage extremism in the country.

 

Prominent Afghan writer Yaqoob Yasna wrote on Facebook that the mosques did not have a proper teaching environment, and sending children there would be a misuse of education and religion.

A well-known Afghan journalist, Mukhtar Wafayee, said the policy was a move toward the Talibanisation of society.

While normal schools operated during the Taliban regime in the 1990s, madrassas or religious schools were common at the time. Even now, the Taliban ask students in areas under their control to regularly attend religious schools, besides normal non-religious education.

Afghanistan has one of the worst records for children out of school in the world.

According to a United Nations report, an estimated 3.7 million children cannot attend school due to war, poverty and cultural barriers - 60 percent of whom are girls.    (dpa)