Five years after the Taliban's return to power, an estimated 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan remain excluded from secondary education, effectively erasing decades of progress, according to a United Nations agency.
Afghanistan is now the sole country globally that formally prohibits girls and women from pursuing education beyond the primary level. UNESCO issued a call Tuesday for the "immediate and unconditional" restoration of their right to education. The organization warned that the Taliban's policies extend beyond the classroom, barring women from most paid jobs and public-facing professions, and restricting their movement without a male guardian.
"Women have been erased from public life, and as a new generation of girls grows without an education, their future becomes increasingly dark," UNESCO stated. The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew.
Shortly after taking power, the Taliban prohibited girls from attending secondary schools. These restrictions were later expanded to encompass universities, employment, and other areas of public life. Despite sustained pressure from international bodies, humanitarian groups, human rights advocates, and several Islamic nations, the Taliban has not lifted the education restrictions, asserting that it is an internal matter, according to The Associated Press.
This situation represents a stark reversal of the educational advancements made by Afghan girls in the two decades prior to the Taliban's resurgence. While access to schooling for girls was severely limited in 2001, nearly one million were enrolled in secondary education by 2021. The current estimate of 2.4 million girls excluded from secondary education signifies a significant loss of opportunity.
Hoda Jaberian, UNESCO's program coordinator for education in emergencies, noted that a five-year absence from schooling constitutes nearly an entire secondary school cycle. UNESCO cautioned that denying education to girls and restricting women's employment could exacerbate Afghanistan's already severe economic challenges. Nearly half of Afghanistan's population lives below the poverty line, and preventing women from studying and working further limits their capacity to support their families and contribute to the national economy.
The exclusion of girls from education also poses risks to their mental and physical well-being and increases the likelihood of early marriage. Furthermore, the Taliban's ban on female teachers instructing boys has created teacher shortages and negatively impacted the quality of education across the country.
In response to the formal ban, UNESCO has focused on community-based education, literacy and skills development programs, and psychosocial support to ensure continued learning opportunities. Nearly 70,000 individuals, 73% of whom are women, have participated in UNESCO's programs. These initiatives, often conducted in community spaces or facilitators' homes with official awareness, involve over 1,000 literacy facilitators trained by UNESCO and its partners. A recent study indicated that these programs have helped increase household incomes and improve livelihoods.
However, UNESCO acknowledges that these alternative programs cannot fully replace formal schooling. "Afghanistan's girls and women have the right to learn, to work, to move freely, and to shape their own futures," the agency stated, urging the international community not to overlook the situation until their human rights are restored. UNESCO remains committed to collaborating with local communities and partners to sustain alternative educational avenues for Afghan women and girls while continuing to advocate for the lifting of the education ban. Jaberian reiterated that the right to secondary and higher education is non-negotiable and a fundamental human right with no substitute.