About 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan are now denied access to secondary education, an increase of 200,000 since last year, UNESCO reported on Tuesday, warning the figure could approach four million by 2030 if the Taliban's ban persists.
Afghanistan remains the only country barring girls and women from secondary schools and universities, with secondary education closed to girls since March 2022 and universities shut to women later that year. Hoda Jaberian, UNESCO's coordinator for education in emergencies, said Afghan women and girls have a fundamental right to learn and move freely. The education crisis is compounded by systemic failures: more than 11,000 qualified female teachers are projected to be missing by 2030, nearly half of schools lack basic water or sanitation, and 90 percent of 10-year-olds cannot read a simple text.
The restrictions extend beyond classrooms. A UN Women survey found 52 percent of Afghan women leave home no more than twice a month, while the Taliban have issued more than 100 directives targeting women and girls since returning to power in 2021.