2.4 Million Afghan Girls Still Barred From School Five Years After Taliban Takeover: UNESCO

Nearly five years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, an estimated 2.4 million girls remain barred from secondary education, according to UNESCO, which has renewed its call for the immediate and unconditional restoration of girls' right to education. The United Nations agency warned that the prolonged restrictions have reversed two decades of progress and threaten Afghanistan's social and economic future.

Afghanistan remains the only country banning girls from secondary education

UNESCO said Afghanistan is currently the only country in the world where girls and women are officially prohibited from attending secondary schools and universities. The organisation stressed that five years without access to education is no longer a temporary interruption but an entire generation losing opportunities to learn, develop skills and build careers.

The restrictions began after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Girls were first prevented from returning to secondary schools, while women were later banned from universities. The Taliban has defended the measures as an internal matter based on its interpretation of Islamic law despite repeated international criticism.

UNESCO says decades of educational gains have been reversed

Before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had significantly expanded girls' access to education. By 2021, nearly one million girls were enrolled in secondary schools. UNESCO now says much of that progress has been undone, leaving millions outside the formal education system.

The agency warned that excluding girls from education will have long-term consequences, including fewer qualified female teachers, lower workforce participation and increased economic losses. UNESCO estimates the restrictions could force 600,000 women out of the workforce by 2066 and result in $9.6 billion in lost income.

Calls for immediate restoration of education

UNESCO reiterated that education is a fundamental human right and urged Taliban authorities to restore access to secondary and higher education without conditions. The organisation continues to support community-based learning programmes, literacy initiatives and alternative education opportunities across Afghanistan while maintaining that these efforts cannot replace formal schooling.