Taliban's Grim Milestone: UNESCO Reveals The Shocking Scale Of Girls' Education Deprivation In Afghanistan

The Taliban's regime has systematically barred 1.4 million Afghan girls from accessing education, according to a recent report by UNESCO. This marks Afghanistan as the only country in the world where female secondary and higher education are explicitly banned. The prohibitions, introduced by the Taliban since their takeover in 2021, have led to a sharp decline in school attendance, particularly among girls.

After seizing control, the Taliban enforced a ban on education for girls above the sixth grade, citing their interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law, as the reason. In stark contrast, boys' education has continued uninterrupted, with no apparent efforts from the Taliban to reverse these restrictions for girls and women.

Photo Credit: PTI

UNESCO's latest data indicates that since April 2023, an additional 3,00,000 girls have been denied the opportunity to pursue secondary education, bringing the total number of affected girls to at least 1.4 million. As more girls reach the age of 12 each year, the situation worsens.

When including those girls who were already out of school before these bans, the number of school-age girls deprived of education rises to nearly 2.5 million, constituting 80 per cent of the female school-age population in Afghanistan.

Photo Credit: PTI

Efforts to reach the Taliban for comments on this issue have been unsuccessful. UNESCO's data further reveals a troubling trend in primary education. Since the Taliban's rise to power in August 2021, 1.1 million fewer children, both girls and boys, are attending primary school.

This dramatic decrease is attributed to the Taliban's decision to prevent female teachers from educating boys, as well as the harsh economic conditions that have discouraged parents from sending their children to school.

UNESCO has expressed grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences of this escalating dropout rate. The organisation warns that the educational decline could fuel a rise in child labour and early marriage, jeopardising the future of an entire generation.

In 2022, the number of children in primary education dropped to 5.7 million from 6.8 million in 2019, highlighting the severe impact of the Taliban's policies. Despite the dire situation, the Taliban celebrated three years of rule at Bagram Air Base on Wednesday, notably without addressing the significant hardships faced by the Afghan population.

Afghanistan, already suffering from decades of conflict and instability, remains on the brink of a humanitarian crisis. Millions of Afghans are facing hunger and starvation, with unemployment rates soaring. The collapse of the education system is yet another blow to a country struggling under the weight of persistent challenges.