About 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the United Nations has said, calling for an immediate end to what it described as systematic discrimination against women and girls.
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said the number of girls excluded from secondary school has increased by about 200,000 over the past year. It warned that the figure could rise to nearly four million by 2030 if the restrictions remain in place.
The Taliban authorities banned girls from attending secondary schools in March 2022, before extending restrictions on women’s access to universities later that year. Women and girls have also been barred from a range of public spaces and activities, including universities, public parks, gyms and beauty salons.
UNESCO urged the Taliban administration to immediately restore girls’ right to education, describing the restrictions as a major setback for Afghanistan’s social and economic development.
“Afghan girls and women have the right to learn, that’s a basic human right,” said Hoda Jaberian, UNESCO’s programme coordinator for education in emergencies. She also stressed that women should have the right to work and move freely.
According to UNESCO, the restrictions have reversed decades of progress in Afghanistan’s education sector. While access to secondary education for girls was severely limited in 2001, nearly one million girls were enrolled in secondary schools by 2021, shortly before the Taliban returned to power.
Economic Cost of Education Ban
The continued exclusion of women and girls from education is also expected to have significant economic consequences.
UNESCO estimates that restrictions affecting women and girls could cost Afghanistan approximately $9.6 billion by 2066, as limited access to education reduces women’s opportunities to participate fully in the country’s economy.
The UN has repeatedly criticised the Taliban’s policies toward women and girls, with UN officials describing the restrictions as a form of systematic gender discrimination.
Afghanistan’s Education Crisis Deepens
The crisis extends beyond the exclusion of girls from secondary and higher education.
UNESCO said more than half of primary school-age children in Afghanistan are currently out of school, while more than 90 per cent of 10-year-olds are unable to read a simple text.
Poor access to drinking water, sanitation and heating has further weakened the country’s education system. Natural disasters, including a series of devastating earthquakes in recent years, have also damaged schools and disrupted learning.
The return of millions of Afghans has placed additional pressure on an already struggling system. UNESCO estimates that more than seven million Afghans have returned or been forced to return to the country since 2023, increasing demand for limited educational resources.
The UN agency warned that unless access to education is restored and the wider education system receives urgent support, Afghanistan risks losing further progress made over the past two decades.
