About 2.4 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since the Taliban reclaimed power in 2021, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
”Afghanistan is the only country in the world to formally prohibit access to education for girls and women beyond the primary level,” UNESCO said in its statement.
It added that it risks “condemning Afghanistan to decades of lost potential, deepening poverty, and irreversible harm.”
UNESCO estimates that barring Afghan women from secondary and higher education could have long-term economic and social consequences, including the loss of approximately 600,000 female workers by 2066, $9.6 billion in cumulative income losses, and a greater risk of early marriage.
The Taliban-led Education Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Taliban regained power in 2021 following the withdrawal of the United States and its allies, persistently pledging that Afghan women would retain their right to attend school and receive education.
Their promises were not upheld, as girls were banned from secondary education in March 2022, while women were prohibited from pursuing university studies in December 2022. They claimed the restrictions would only be temporary, but neither ban has since been lifted.
The restrictions of the Taliban also include limiting women’s employment and their movement.
UNESCO warned that restrictions on women’s access to higher education could further worsen Afghanistan’s shortage of female teachers. The agency also reported that more than two million primary school-aged children are already out of school for reasons unrelated to the restrictions on girls and women.
By 2030, Afghanistan is expected to have a deficit of over 11,000 qualified female teachers, UNESCO estimates.
”Many teachers have left the country … and those who were in the system are banned from continuing teaching,” said Hoda Jaberian, the UNESCO program coordinator for education in emergencies, in a briefing.
”This decision to ban women from teaching boys has not only, of course, removed a substantial number of qualified teachers and educators from the education system, but it also resulted in boys being taught by unqualified male teachers,” Jaberian added.
