PHOTO ESSAY: Religious schools fill the education gap for Afghan boys

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — In Kabul’s alleys and courtyards, boys in white caps and tunics recite verses from the Quran in a growing network of madrassas, the religious schools increasingly filling the gaps in Afghanistan’s fractured education system.

While public schools still operate, their reach has been weakened by limited resources, teacher shortages and decades of conflict. In response, many families now turn to madrassas, which offer structured learning rooted in Islamic teachings. Enrollment is booming. One school north of Kabul has grown from 35 students to more than 160 in five years.

Most madrassas focus on Quranic memorization, jurisprudence and Arabic, but some now include basic secular subjects like math and English. Still, many fall short of national and international education standards, raising concerns about the long-term impact on students’ broader development.

Girls face even greater challenges. With secondary education banned under Taliban policy, some girls now attend madrassas as one of the few remaining options for continued learning though opportunities are limited even there.

Critics say the madrassas are often centers of religious indoctrination and their increased popularity will have long-lasting consequences for Afghanistan’s future.

But for many children, these schools are the only form of education they can access.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Afghan boys pose for a photo with their teacher during a Quran class at the Abdullah Ibn-Masoud religious school in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

An Afghan youth living at the Imam al-Tirmidhi religious school takes a break between classes in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Afghan boys carry copies of the Quran at the Imam al-Tirmidhi religious school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Afghan girls attend a religious studies class at the Tasnim-e-Nusrat religious education center in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

An Afghan boy hands out Qurans to fellow students at the Imam al-Tirmidhi religious school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Afghan girls studying at an informal school walk through the school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Afghan boys living at the Imam al-Tirmidhi religious school stand by a window frame inside their school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Afghan boys living at the Imam al-Tirmidhi religious school eat bread and tea for breakfast in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Qari Hizbollah, director of the Imam al-Tirmidhi religious boarding school, left, works with a local baker to count loaves of bread purchased for the school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

A religious studies teacher instructs Afghan boys in the Quran at the Abdullah Ibn-Masoud religious school in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Afghan boys walk back to the Abdullah Ibn-Masoud religious school where they live after collecting food aid from nearby villages in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

An Afghan boy sweeps the room where he lives and studies at the Imam al-Tirmidhi religious school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Afghan boys attend a Quran class at the Abdullah Ibn-Masoud religious school on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Afghan boys read the Quran at the Imam al-Tirmidhi religious school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

An Afghan boy glances at the camera during a Quran class at the Abdullah Ibn-Masoud religious school on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Afghan boys attend a Quran class at the Abdullah Ibn-Masoud religious school on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

An Afghan boy poses for a photo with his toy pistol at the Imam al-Tirmidhi religious school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Photographs of street children studying at an informal school are displayed on a board in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

A religious studies teacher instructs a boy in Quran recitation at the Abdullah Ibn-Masoud religious school on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

An Afghan boy rests his head on his desk as he dozes off during a Quran class at the Abdullah Ibn-Masoud religious school on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Afghan boys attend a Quran class at the Abdullah Ibn-Masoud religious school on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.

An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.

His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.

“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”

Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.

That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.

McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.

“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”

Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”

“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.

This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)