2.4 Million Afghan Girls Denied Education Five Years After Taliban Rule, UNESCO Urges Immediate Action

Nearly five years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, around 2.4 million girls continue to be denied access to secondary education, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The UN agency warned that Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are officially barred from secondary and higher education, calling the prolonged restrictions a serious violation of fundamental human rights.

UNESCO Calls for Immediate Restoration of Education Rights

Speaking during a UN press briefing, Hoda Jaberian, UNESCO's Programme Coordinator for Education in Emergencies, stressed that the restrictions have deprived an entire generation of girls of educational opportunities.

"Five years is not a temporary interruption in a child's education. It is almost an entire secondary school cycle."

UNESCO reiterated its demand for the immediate and unconditional restoration of girls' access to secondary schools and universities.

"It is not negotiable. It is a basic human right."

Taliban Restrictions Continue Despite Global Pressure

The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces.

Soon after taking power, authorities suspended education for girls beyond primary school. The restrictions were later expanded to universities, while women also faced growing limitations on employment and participation in public life.

Despite repeated appeals from the United Nations, humanitarian agencies, human rights organisations and several Muslim-majority countries, the Taliban has continued to defend the restrictions, describing them as an internal matter.

Two Decades of Educational Progress Reversed

Before the Taliban's return, Afghanistan had made significant progress in expanding access to education.

According to UNESCO, nearly one million girls were enrolled in secondary schools by 2021, marking substantial gains achieved over two decades.

Those advances have now been largely reversed.

The continued exclusion from education is expected to have long-term consequences for Afghanistan's economy, healthcare system and workforce by limiting opportunities for millions of young women.

UNESCO Continues Alternative Learning Programmes

While formal education remains inaccessible for millions of girls, UNESCO says it continues to support:

• Community-based education programmes
• Literacy initiatives
• Skills development courses
• Alternative learning centres across Afghanistan

The organisation says these programmes help provide limited educational opportunities, although they cannot replace full access to formal schooling.

Why It Matters

The education ban has become one of the defining human rights concerns in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power. UNESCO warns that preventing millions of girls from attending school threatens not only individual futures but also Afghanistan's long-term social and economic development.