AT News
KABUL: The Ministry of Education has announced it revived the Islamic department after heavy criticisms by the people and parliamentarians over a decision made by the acting minister to shift school students (grades one to three) to the mosques.
The revival of the Islamic department was ordered by President Ashraf Ghani, according to a statement issued Monday by the ministry of education.
The high board for Islamic education would be run by five clerics including a woman, the statement said.
According to the statement, all seminaries and other religious schools and courses would come under the umbrella of this department, which was previously responsible only for a number of madrasas.
The ministry’s decision to shift primary school students to the mosques was heavily criticized by large number of people and members of parliament.
The ministry had said this would “strengthen Islamic knowledge” and would be useful for the students.
But the opposition of the decision called it a “children misuse” and would help “religious fundamentalism”.
Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the high council for national reconciliation was one of the serious opposition to the decision who called it a mistake “from the base”.