KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban Ministry of Education on Thursday marked the start of the new academic year in Afghanistan with a ceremony, but girls above the sixth grade remained excluded from classrooms for a fifth consecutive year.
In a post on X, the ministry said the new academic year 1405 was formally inaugurated in the presence of senior officials, including the group’s deputy prime minister for administrative affairs, who rang the school bell to mark the start of classes.
The Taliban banned girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade shortly after returning to power in 2021. The restrictions were later extended to universities and professional institutes, including medical institutions.
UN estimates show the bans have left more than 2.5 million Afghan girls and young women out of school and higher education. Rights groups and UN experts warn the restrictions could deepen poverty, reduce workforce participation, and widen gender inequality.
Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where women and girls are systematically barred from secondary and higher education.
The UN, Muslim-majority countries, and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly called on the Taliban to lift the bans. UN experts and rights groups have described the policies as “gender apartheid” and urged that they be recognized under international law as a crime against humanity. The Taliban have shown no indication of easing the restrictions.
Since taking power, the Taliban have also revised school and university curricula to align with their strict interpretation of Islamic law. While formal schools and universities remain closed to girls beyond primary level, the authorities have expanded religious seminaries. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said earlier this year that more than 20,000 religious schools are operating under the Ministry of Education, with about 2.5 million students enrolled in Islamic studies.
