Sources: Taliban accept bribes for school jobs in Panjshir

Taliban education authorities in Panjshir province are appointing individuals to key school leadership roles in exchange for bribes, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Several sources within the Taliban’s provincial Department of Education told Amu TV that Taliban officials are demanding 50,000 afghanis (about $570) and hosting a banquet in return for the post of school principal.

Some of the newly appointed officials are reportedly illiterate and lack any formal education or professional experience.

“The selection process happens through confidential agreements between both sides,” one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

The appointments have already taken place in several schools across the districts of Darah, Hessa-ye Awal, Rokha and Bazarak, the provincial capital, sources said.

Residents have raised concerns about the impact of these appointments on the quality of education. They say the continued hiring of unqualified individuals threatens to severely undermine the future of schoolchildren in the region.

“Putting uneducated people in charge of schools is a disaster in the making,” one local elder said. “This is not just corruption—it’s a betrayal of our children’s future.”

Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the quality of education in public schools across Afghanistan has sharply declined, with Panjshir being no exception.