Higher education administrators in Kandahar have systematically integrated the written decrees, orders, and theological edicts of supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada into the mandatory Islamic culture and religious curriculum at Kandahar University.
According to local academic sources, portions of the traditional university curriculum covering general Islamic history and jurisprudence have been replaced with direct instructional materials focused on the supreme leader’s policy directives, governance frameworks, and executive commands.
Institutional Revision and Ideological Standardization
The curricular overhaul reflects a broader institutional strategy by de facto authorities to entrench their political and religious ideology across public higher education:
- Curriculum Substitution: Academic staff confirmed that specific sections of the standard Islamic studies coursework were removed to accommodate the mandatory study of Akhundzada’s written decrees.
- Enforcement Objectives: Sources indicate that de facto officials aim to socialize university students with state decrees to secure public compliance and accelerate their institutional implementation across society.
- Institutional Alignment: The move aligns with previous university addresses by Akhundzada, in which he declared academic institutions subordinate to religious authority and instructed students to align their education strictly with regime narratives.
Wider Erasure of Traditional Higher Education Standards
The modification of Kandahar University’s coursework follows a series of sweeping interventions aimed at restructuring Afghanistan’s higher education system.
Over the past three years, de facto authorities have banned hundreds of academic titles and textbooks, barred female students and professors from university grounds, and purged non-compliant faculty members in favor of religious scholars (ulema). Education experts warn that replacing standard academic curricula with political decrees further isolates Afghan universities from international accreditation and academic standards.