Afghan children should be taught in mosques for first three years, minister urges

Afghan children should be taught in mosques for first three years, minister urges

The Afghan government has been accused of pandering to the Taliban after it launched a plan to strengthen Islamic identity by insisting all young children are taught at their local mosque.

Rangina Hamidi, the education minister, said the changes were designed to give Islam a more prominent role in education and also bring Afghanistan's religious schools, or madrassahs, into the mainstream.

The overhaul would see pupils in their first three years of school study at mosques and would “make Islam a central part of the education system and curriculum,” she said.

Studying in mosques in their earliest years “would help students to develop Islamic identity and will highlight the role of Islam for students,” a statement said.

The announcement was made as Afghan government and Taliban envoys prepare for long-awaited talks in Doha to try to reach a political settlement to the country's lengthy war.

There is widespread fear that the country's modest gains in human rights, civil liberties and education will be sacrificed during negotiations to appease the insurgents who imposed a hardline religious government in the 1990s.

Timor Sharan, a professor at the American University of Afghanistan, said: “Are we preparing the ground for the Taliban rule? This is a terrible policy. I would