UNESCO: Taliban Deliberately Denies Education to 1.4 Million Afghan Girls Through Ban
UNESCO revealed on Thursday that the Taliban has intentionally deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of their right to education through a prohibitive decree. Afghanistan stands alone as the only nation worldwide that bans secondary and higher education for girls. Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, they have prohibited education for girls beyond the sixth grade, citing their interpretation of Sharia law as justification. This ban does not extend to boys, and there are no indications that the Taliban will take the necessary steps to reopen schools for girls and women.
UNESCO’s latest report shows that at least 1.4 million girls have been systematically denied access to secondary education since the Taliban’s takeover, an increase of 300,000 from April 2023. Each year, more girls are reaching the age limit of 12, exacerbating the crisis.
“If we account for girls who were already out of school before the ban, nearly 2.5 million girls in Afghanistan are now deprived of education, representing 80% of school-aged girls in the country,” UNESCO stated. The Taliban has not responded to requests for comment.
Data from UNESCO also highlights a decline in primary education access since the Taliban’s rise to power in August 2021, with a reduction of 1.1 million children, both girls and boys, attending school. The UN agency warns that the administration has “almost eradicated” two decades of educational progress in Afghanistan, putting the future of an entire generation at risk.
The report notes that Afghanistan had 5.7 million primary school children in 2022, down from 6.8 million in 2019. UNESCO attributes the decline partly to the Taliban’s ban on female teachers instructing male students, and also suggests that economic hardship may be discouraging parents from sending their children to school.
“UNESCO is deeply concerned about the detrimental effects of this increasing dropout rate, which may lead to higher rates of child labor and early marriage,” the agency added. On Wednesday, the Taliban marked their third anniversary in power at Bagram Airfield but did not address the country’s hardships or promise support for struggling citizens.
Decades of conflict and instability have pushed millions of Afghans to the brink of poverty, with high unemployment rates compounding their difficulties.
