UNESCO: 2.4 Million Afghan Girls Locked Out of School as Taliban Ban Enters Fifth Year
An estimated 2.4 million Afghan girls remain excluded from secondary education, five years after the Taliban returned to power, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
From a child protection perspective, the prolonged exclusion represents more than a disruption to schooling. It threatens children’s right to education, limits their development and increases their exposure to risks associated with prolonged isolation and lack of opportunity.
UNESCO said Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are formally barred from secondary and higher education. Hoda Jaberian, UNESCO’s programme coordinator for education in emergencies, said five years represents almost an entire secondary school cycle for a child.
The Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021, and subsequently barred girls from secondary schools before extending restrictions to higher education and other areas of public life.
The restrictions have reversed significant progress made in girls’ education. UNESCO said nearly one million girls were enrolled in secondary education in Afghanistan by 2021, compared with severely limited access in 2001.
The prolonged exclusion also raises concerns about the long-term consequences for children’s wellbeing, protection and future independence. Education can provide children with knowledge, social support and pathways towards economic security, making sustained access an important component of child protection.
Despite the restrictions, UNESCO continues to support community-based education, literacy and skills programmes. More than 1,000 literacy facilitators are reportedly involved in these efforts.
UNESCO has called for the immediate and unconditional restoration of girls’ and women’s right to secondary and higher education, stressing that education is a fundamental human right.
