In yet another alarming display of authoritarian repression, the Taliban regime has sentenced six Afghan teachers to prison in Daikundi province simply for teaching English and computer skills—subjects that symbolise progress, empowerment, and modern learning.
According to sources, the Taliban’s primary court in Khidir district handed down prison sentences ranging from three to five months to six instructors from the Ofuq-e Nowin educational centre. Computer teachers Raziq Taqipour and Habib Roshan received five-month sentences, while English instructors Asif Rahish, Rashid, Esmat, and Najaf were each sentenced to three months.
The educators had initially been arrested in January last year for conducting courses at the centre, which was subsequently shut down by Taliban authorities. Though released on bail, they were summoned again on 19 May and sentenced without any semblance of due process.
While the Taliban did not clarify whether the verdict was tied to teaching female students, similar past incidents suggest it was likely a factor. In January, Taliban intelligence in Sang Takht Wa Bandar district detained four other teachers for offering English and computer classes to girls—highlighting the regime’s deliberate targeting of female education.
Since seizing power nearly four years ago, the Taliban have enforced a ruthless campaign against education—especially for girls and women—banning them from secondary schools, universities, and all forms of higher learning. Educational centres have been raided, instructors harassed, and learning itself criminalised.
This latest crackdown reflects the Taliban’s war on knowledge and their fear of an informed society. By jailing teachers who promote critical skills and modern education, the regime once again reveals its deeply regressive and oppressive agenda, pushing Afghanistan further into isolation and intellectual darkness.
