Published on: 2026-08-14
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
August 14, 2026 Culture and Education
In the five years since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, more than 2.6 million Afghan girls have been deprived of the opportunity to receive secondary education. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where access to secondary and higher education for girls and women is effectively closed.
Since September 2021, girls have been prohibited from receiving formal education after the sixth grade, and since December 2022, women have been banned from studying at universities.
“Five years may be a short period in the history of a country, but for a girl’s life, it is a defining stage,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “School provides much more than just knowledge. It gives young people a voice and the opportunity to fully realize their potential. Moreover, it serves as protection against child labor, early marriages, violence, and abuse. Schools closed, and that protection disappeared just when girls needed it the most.”
The risks faced by girls outside of school are exacerbated by poverty and forced displacement. Since 2023, more than 2.7 million people have returned to the country from Iran and Pakistan, and 60 percent of them are children and youth.
Afghanistan is losing skilled labor
The consequences affect not only the girls themselves. According to a UNICEF report published in April 2026, by 2030 the country risks losing up to 20,000 female teachers and 5,400 female healthcare workers. The number of women teachers in the basic education system has already decreased by more than nine percent: from nearly 73,000 in 2022 to approximately 66,000 in 2024. The proportion of women in public service fell from 21 to 17.7 percent between 2023 and 2025.
The results of the same study show that restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment cost Afghanistan approximately $84 million annually in lost economic potential, and these losses accumulate each year the restrictions remain in place. The consequences will also affect the next generation. As the proportion of mothers without education increases, the risks of giving birth to low birth-weight children, growth delays, and reduced vaccination rates rise.
In the current situation, “the country cannot prosper”
Despite existing limitations, UNICEF continues to support education in Afghanistan. In 2025, more than 3.7 million children in public schools received emergency educational assistance, 442,000 children participated in community-based learning programs, 66 percent of whom were girls. Additionally, 232 schools were built or rehabilitated.
“UNICEF calls on the de facto authorities of the country to lift restrictions on education and immediately allow all girls and women to return to schools and universities,” Russell said. “The country cannot prosper when half of its youth are deprived of the opportunity to develop.”
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.