Afghan girls' school ban excludes 2.4m, UNESCO says

UNESCO said Tuesday that about 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, an increase of 200,000 from last year, and warned the number could reach nearly four million by 2030 if the ban continues.

The UN cultural and educational agency called for the immediate restoration of girls' right to education and condemned discrimination against women and girls. Girls were barred from secondary schools in March 2022, and universities were closed to young women later that year.

The Taliban authorities, recognised solely by Russia, justify the policy through their interpretation of Islamic law. Taliban officials have described the restrictions as temporary.

UNESCO said the ban is reversing two decades of gains. It said access to schooling for girls was severely limited in 2001, but nearly one million girls were enrolled in secondary education by 2021.

The agency estimated restrictions on women and girls would cost Afghanistan $9.6 billion by 2066. It also said more than half of primary school-age children are completely out of school, more than 90 percent of 10-year-olds cannot read a simple text, and poor drinking water, sanitation and heating in schools have worsened the education crisis.

UNESCO said natural disasters, including repeated earthquakes, and the return or forced return of more than seven million Afghans since 2023 have added pressure to the education system.

Afghan fathers interviewed by AFP described secret classes, home tutoring and fears that daughters nearing the end of primary school would lose any path to further education. AFP protected their identities. A UN survey last year found nine in 10 Afghan men questioned said it was important for girls to attend secondary school.