Girls’ strength in Parwan seminaries up by 60 percent

CHARIKAR (Pajhwok): After the suspension of girls’ high and university education, the number of females in religious madaris has surged by 65 percent in central Parwan province.

After the political change in the country on August 15 2021, girls’ schools above grade six and universities for girls were closed until further notice by the Islamic Emirate (IE), saying the ban is not permanent and a solution is being found in the light of Sharia.

After this decision, many girls switched to religious education.

Lina Ikhlas Rahimi, the principal of BiBi Hafsa madrasa in Charikar city, told Pajhwok Afghan News that after the closure of schools above grade six for girls, the number of female students in her madrasa increased by about 50 percent.

She said the girls of all four classes in her madrasa were taught Quran, Hadith, Tajweed, Recitation and History of the Prophet (PBUH).  She added each student of her madrasa paid 100 afs as monthly fee.

Sumaya Saadat, head master of a madrasa (Madrasa of Doctor Mohammad Sherzad), said their madrasa was established eight months ago and it currently has 600 students.

She added: “I established this madrasa because schools were shut and I wanted to find an alternative way for girls’ education, when I opened this madrasa, I had only 17 students, their number reached 40 on the second day, 90 on the third day and now we have 600 girl students.”

Saadat said Tajweed, recitation, interpretation of Quran, Hadith and Fiqh subjects were taught in the madrasa.

She said before the closure of schools, she had a class in her house of 40 girls and they were taught religious subjects.

She added their madrasa did not take fee from students and Dr. Mohammad Sherzad was paying her salary.

Qari Nik Mohammad Nijrabi, the headmaster of a government madrasa “Abu Zar Ghaffari” in Khwaja Mohammad Khel village of Jabal Saraj district, said the number of girl students in their madrasa increased from 500 to 700 during the past two years.

He said majority of the 200 newly enrolled girls were school students above grade six.

Maulavi Sherajan Abed, deputy head of religious studies at the provincial Education Department, said currently 18 girls’ madrasas were operating within the framework of the education department in Parwan province.

He said the number of students in these madaris had increased by 60 percent following the closure girls’ schools above grade six.

He said efforts were underway to provide more ground for religious education for girls.

Some of the girls said after the closure of schools above grade six, they got enrolled in religious madaris and they were happy because they were learning religious subjects and asked the Islamic Emirate (IE) to open the doors of schools for girls as well.

Husnia Haqshinas, a student of grade nine at BiBi Hafsa High School in Charikar city, said she has been studying since one year in BiBiHafsaReligious Madrasa.

She criticized the closure of girls’ schools above grade six and called it the reason why she got enrolled in madrasa in order not to stay away from knowledge.

Haqshinas said she memorized three parts of the holy Quran during the past one year and she was satisfied with her lessons in the madrasa.

She added some of the same religious subjects were taught at school as well and she was familiar with such subjects while studying in school.

Haqshinas asked for reopening of schools for girls and said: “The doomsday will come, when all the humanity will have to answer for their deeds and the officials of Islamic Emirate will have to answer why they closed the doors of schools for us”.

Sweeta Rahimi, a twelfth grader at BiBi Hafsa High School, is now studying at BiBi Hafsa Madrasa.

Rahimi said: “When the doors of schools were closed for girls, I came to this madrasa, the right of education is awarded to females by Almighty God, no one has the right to take this right away from them”.

She added that they were observing hijab while going to school and now they were observing the same hijab in the madrasa.

She called the closure of schools for girls and not for boys a political decision and asked the caretaker government to open the doors of schools for girls too because the society needed female teachers and doctors.

Sweeta said: “They deprived girls of their right, it is like burying them alive, we ask the officials to open the doors of schools and universities for girls as well”.

Mitra Karimi is another madrasa student. She has been enrolled in Doctor Mohammad Sherzad Madrasa since six months and she has memorized the Surahs (chapters) of the Quran with Tajweed and translation.

She is actually from Charikar city and was studying in the tenth grade of Sadiqi High School. She said: “We came to this madrasa in order not to miss our lessons; if one way is closed for us, we will follow the other way”.

She also asked the government IE to open schools for girls as soon as possible.

aw/ma

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