UNESCO: Taliban Deliberately Deny 1.4 Million Afghan Girls Education

KABUL, Afghanistan — A recent report by a U.N. agency revealed that the Taliban have systematically denied 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan the opportunity to pursue their education. This makes Afghanistan the sole nation globally with restrictions on female secondary and higher education.

Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, they have prohibited girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade, citing their interpretation of Sharia law as the basis for this decision. In contrast, boys continue to have access to education, and the Taliban has shown no intention of reopening educational institutions for girls and women.

According to UNESCO, the ban has resulted in at least 1.4 million girls being stripped of their access to secondary education. This figure represents an increase of 300,000 since April 2023, with more girls each year reaching the eligibility age of 12.

UNESCO stated, “If we consider the girls who were already out of school prior to the introduction of these bans, we estimate that nearly 2.5 million girls in the country are currently denied their right to education, accounting for 80% of Afghan school-age girls.”

Efforts to reach the Taliban for comments regarding these educational bans were unsuccessful.

The situation is dire, not just for secondary education, as primary education access has also declined since the Taliban took control in August 2021. UNESCO reports indicate that 1.1 million fewer children—both girls and boys—are currently attending school.

The U.N. agency emphasized that the Taliban’s policies have effectively reversed two decades of progress in education within Afghanistan. They noted that “the future of an entire generation is now in jeopardy.”

In 2022, there were 5.7 million children enrolled in primary education, dropping from 6.8 million in 2019. This decline in enrollment directly correlates with the Taliban’s ban on female educators from teaching boys, as well as a growing reluctance among parents to send their children to school amid worsening economic conditions.

UNESCO expressed concern about the rising dropout rates, which could lead to increased child labor and early marriages, posing further risks to the well-being and futures of Afghan children.

While the Taliban marked three years of their rule at Bagram Air Base on Wednesday, they did not address the ongoing challenges faced by the population or present any plans to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people.

Decades of conflict and instability have left many Afghans facing acute hunger and starvation, with unemployment rates soaring. The education crisis adds another layer of difficulty to an already struggling society.