The Malaysia-based preacher argued in a circulating video that restrictions had been misunderstood and that education beyond primary school had been postponed because of security concerns and insufficient female teachers. His explanation prompted objections from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, where critics challenged both his account and the implications of an indefinite suspension.
“Everything that comes in the media is not true,” Naik said, claiming that he had personally discussed the policy with Taliban representatives. He maintained that girls could attend classes until the sixth grade and that further schooling depended on conditions becoming safe and suitably qualified women being available to teach.
“So if someone delays the education till they have the right teacher, there is no problem at all,” he said. Naik also asserted that women could undertake advanced Islamic studies, including postgraduate qualifications in Sharia, Arabic and the Quran. He did not provide independently verifiable figures establishing the scale of such opportunities.
Ziauddin Yousafzai, a Pakistani education campaigner and father of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, described Naik’s justification as “deeply troubling and disappointing”. He questioned how an indefinite exclusion could be presented as a temporary interruption without a credible plan to restore access or train additional teachers.
Afghan commentators made similar objections. Azim Shinwari, a former member of Afghanistan’s security forces living in Belgium, asked how the country could produce more qualified female teachers while preventing girls from continuing their studies. He also demanded evidence for Naik’s claims about women obtaining advanced religious qualifications.
Mariam Solaimankhil, associated with Afghanistan’s Parliament in Exile, questioned the logic of invoking a shortage of women teachers when Taliban policies had also restricted women’s employment. Mahbob Shah Mahbob, editor of Afghan International Pashto, challenged the description of closed classrooms as a mere postponement.
The objections reflect a substantial difference between Naik’s characterisation and the documented position of Afghanistan’s education system. UNICEF said in August that more than 2.6 million girls had been denied secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Afghanistan remains the only country where secondary and higher education are effectively closed to girls and women.
Girls have been excluded from formal schooling beyond grade six since September 2021. Women were barred from universities in December 2022. The authorities have not announced a timetable for restoring general access, leaving successive groups of pupils unable to complete their education.
UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell urged the authorities in August to lift the restrictions immediately. The agency warned that prolonged exclusion increased exposure to child labour, early marriage, abuse and other forms of gender-based violence, particularly among families facing poverty or displacement.
The teacher shortage cited by Naik is itself an issue highlighted by international assessments. UNICEF estimated that the number of female teachers in basic education fell from almost 73,000 in 2022 to approximately 66,000 in 2024. Its analysis warned that continued restrictions could cost Afghanistan up to 20,000 women teachers by 2030.
The agency also estimated that curbs on women’s education and participation in employment were costing the economy about $84 million annually. These calculations concern broader restrictions, rather than the impact of the secondary school prohibition alone.
A Faizur Rahman, an Islamic scholar from India, questioned the support Naik enjoys in Malaysia and addressed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over his continued presence there. Historian S Irfan Habib likewise questioned the Malaysian government’s accommodation of the preacher.
Naik left India in 2016 and lives in Malaysia, where he holds permanent residency. He is wanted by authorities in India in connection with allegations including money laundering and promoting religious hatred. He denies wrongdoing, and efforts to secure his return have not succeeded.
The debate has also drawn attention to education programmes operating outside conventional secondary schools. UNICEF said 442,000 children participated in community-based learning during 2025, with girls accounting for 66 per cent. Such initiatives provide educational support but do not amount to the reopening of secondary schools or universities.
