KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that the organization and its partners have distributed educational materials to four million children in Afghanistan and have helped rehabilitate 232 schools.
Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, announced the assistance today (Wednesday, May 6) in a message posted on X.
He said that these efforts have created better spaces for learning and growth for children across Afghanistan.
Oyewale added that “every child deserves a safe place to learn and the tools to build their future.”
UNICEF reported these educational efforts at a time when around two million girls in Afghanistan have been deprived of attending school due to restrictions imposed by the Taliban.
Despite repeated calls from the international community, including Muslim-majority countries and organizations such as the UN, the Taliban have shown no indication of easing the restrictions.
According to UN data, more than 2.5 million girls in Afghanistan are currently out of school and universities due to the bans, raising concerns about long-term social and economic impacts, including reduced workforce participation and increased poverty.
UN experts and international human rights groups have characterized the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls as “gender apartheid” and have called for it to be recognized under international law as a crime against humanity.
The start of the academic year coincides with Nowruz celebrations, which were previously observed as an official national holiday under the former government. The Taliban, however, have not formally recognized or marked the occasion since returning to power.
This situation highlights the ongoing challenges facing the education sector in Afghanistan, where international support continues to play a crucial role in sustaining access to learning, even as significant barriers—particularly for girls—remain in place.
