UN Warns of Growing Education Crisis for Afghan Girls Under Taliban Rule

The United Nations reports that 2.4 million girls have been deprived of secondary education in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Afghanistan is currently the only country in the world that formally prohibits girls from accessing education beyond the primary level. UNESCO warns that if these restrictions continue, nearly four million female students could be excluded from the school system by 2030. This ban has also extended to higher education, with more than 100,000 women forced to leave universities since 2022.

Reports from the ground highlight the emotional and financial toll on Afghan families. Some fathers have expressed despair over their daughters' lack of prospects, while others have sought clandestine courses that charge high fees and offer no official graduation certificates. Some families have attempted to flee the country, though they face significant visa restrictions from nations such as Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. In some cases, women and girls have faced legal consequences or have been forced into hiding after operating secret classrooms in their homes.

Center left sources frame the situation as a violation of fundamental human rights and a gender apartheid that erases women from public space. Center right coverage focuses on the bleak future and the specific conditions inside the few remaining schools for girls in Kabul.