KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – As the new school year begins in Afghanistan, nearly 400,000 additional girls have been denied their right to education, bringing the total number of out-of-school girls to 2.2 million, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The announcement comes as the country marks the third anniversary of the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education beyond sixth grade — a decision that continues to draw international condemnation.
In a statement released Friday, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned that if the ban remains in place until 2030, more than four million Afghan girls will be deprived of their right to education beyond primary school.
“This ban is catastrophic — not only for the girls whose futures are being stolen, but for the country as a whole,” Russell said. “It undermines the health system, weakens the economy, and jeopardizes Afghanistan’s future.”
Russell also highlighted the broader social consequences of the education restrictions, including a rising risk of child marriage and the critical shortage of qualified female health professionals.
“With fewer girls in school, more are at risk of early marriage, which has lasting negative impacts on their well-being and health,” she said. “Meanwhile, the shortage of trained female doctors and midwives means lives are being put at risk.”
Despite the Taliban’s ban, UNICEF has provided access to education for 445,000 children, 64% of them girls, through community-based learning programs.
“We will continue to advocate for the right of every Afghan girl to go to school,” Russell added, calling on Taliban authorities to lift the ban and uphold girls’ fundamental rights.
Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade. The restriction has now been in place for four academic years.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have rolled back many of the freedoms gained by Afghan women over the past two decades. In addition to barring girls from secondary schools, they have also banned women from universities and most forms of employment.
International pressure, including from Muslim countries and organizations, has so far failed to persuade the Taliban to reverse their decision, leaving millions of women and girls in uncertainty about their future.
