According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), approximately 2,4 millions de jeunes Afghanes sont privées d’éducation secondaire following the Taliban’s return to power five years ago. The agency issued an urgent call on Tuesday to end these systemic restrictions, noting a significant increase from the 2,2 millions de jeunes Afghanes excluded from schooling in 2025.
The Scope of Educational Exclusion in Afghanistan
UNESCO’s latest report warns that if current bans remain in place, nearly four million girls could be locked out of secondary schooling by 2030. These restrictions have effectively dismantled two decades of educational gains. Prior to the 2001 political transition, female secondary enrollment was severely limited, but that figure climbed to nearly one million students by 2021, according to the organization’s data.
“The women and girls of Afghanistan have the right to learn; it is a fundamental human right. They have the right to work. They must enjoy freedom of movement without being forced to be accompanied or monitored, or suffer bans within their communities,” stated Hoda Jaberian, emergency education program coordinator, during a press briefing.
UNESCO has formally condemned the ongoing discrimination against women and girls, demanding an immediate and unconditional restoration of their right to study. Jaberian urged the international community not to look away from the crisis.
Wider Collapse of the School System
According to UNESCO data, more than half of primary school-aged children are entirely out of school, and over 90 percent of ten-year-old children cannot read a simple text. These educational deficits are further compounded by severe infrastructure shortages, including a lack of safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and heating in school buildings. Natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods have also repeatedly damaged communities in recent years.
Compounding these pressures, the Afghan educational infrastructure faces intense demographic strain. UNESCO reports that more than seven million Afghans have returned to the country, either voluntarily or through forced return, since 2023.
Afghanistan remains the only nation globally that strictly bans women and females from accessing secondary and higher education. UNESCO estimates that if these prohibitions persist, the country’s fragile economy will suffer a cumulative loss of 9,6 milliards de dollars in foregone revenue by 2066.
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