Taliban Education Ministry Conducts Master’s Exam for 6,000 Religious Scholars in Kabul and Nangarhar
The Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has announced that a master’s degree examination was held for six thousand religious scholars in the provinces of Kabul and Nangarhar. Those who pass the exams will be awarded a master’s degree. The tests took place on Friday, May 4, at Kabul and Nangarhar public universities.
According to the ministry’s statement, the exams were conducted at the mentioned universities, and the results will be announced after final evaluation. Zia-ur-Rehman Madani, Deputy Minister of Higher Education for the Taliban administration, emphasized the “transparency” of the process.
However, the ministry has not released any photos or videos showing how the exams were conducted, nor has it provided further details about the evaluation methods or academic criteria.
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, the ministry has sought to issue bachelor’s and master’s degrees to religious scholars and madrassa students who have not completed formal university education. This effort comes amid the departure of several university professors holding degrees from foreign countries, including the United States and Europe, and the subsequent recruitment of individuals close to the Taliban into higher education institutions.
Critics argue that the unilateral focus on religious education based on the Taliban administration’s particular interpretation of Islamic Sharia has weakened the quality of non-religious education at public universities, raising concerns about the future of the country’s higher education system.
