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Afghanistan: Taliban orders universities to prohibit using Persian words

SHAFAQNA AFGHANISTAN– The Taliban group has been repeatedly accused of “Persianophobia” since regaining control of Afghanistan. The latest example of this is the directives issued to university professors.

The Ministry of Higher Education of the Taliban has issued a written order to all professors and academic staff of Afghanistan’s universities, instructing them not to use “foreign language” terms in their scholarly works.

The written order consists of seven articles, demanding professors and academic staff to refrain from using Persian words for “court دادگاه, prosecutor’s office دادستانی, student دانشجو, university دانشگاه, and faculty دانشکده” in their academic works, research, writings, and translations.

The Ministry of Higher Education of the Taliban has also made it mandatory for all professors and academic staff of Afghanistan’s universities to be proficient in teaching both official languages of Afghanistan (Pashto and Dari/Persian). The written order states that professors must have full familiarity with both languages and should write their scholarly works in both languages.

This is the first time that university professors in Afghanistan are required to have the ability to teach in both Persian and Pashto and are compelled to have full proficiency in both languages.

National Terminology or Persian Equivalents?

According to the Law on Higher Education in Afghanistan, university professors and other higher education institutions are allowed to teach in the official languages of the country, and there is no obligation to teach in both official languages.

University professors in most regions with a Persian-speaking population used to teach in Persian, while in areas with a Pashto-speaking population, they taught in Pashto. There was no obstruction or objection to this practice.

In Kabul University, the largest university in Afghanistan, professors used to teach in Persian since the majority of the capital’s population are Persian speakers and are fluent in the Persian language.

Now, in addition to requiring university professors to have proficiency in both Persian and Pashto and teach in both languages, the Taliban has also prohibited the use of “other language” words.

In the Ministry of Higher Education’s written order, words such as “court, prosecutor’s office, student, university, and faculty” are considered as “words of other languages,” and it is suggested to use “national terminologies” instead.

Many Afghan citizens have interpreted the issuance of this written order as a continuation of the Taliban’s Persianophobic policy. However, they emphasize that such a policy cannot strengthen the Pashto language nor weaken the Persian language.

Source: Shafaqna Afghanistan

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