A UN-backed initiative, Education Cannot Wait, has revealed that 300,000 Afghan girls are denied access to education each year as a result of ongoing Taliban restrictions. The total number of girls currently deprived of schooling has reached 1.5 million, with the figure expected to rise to millions if the ban persists.
The organization condemned the Taliban’s rule as a “dysfunctional regime” that not only strips girls of their right to education but also hinders half of the Afghan population from contributing to the country’s recovery and development. Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, they have systematically targeted women and girls, issuing decrees that prohibit them from accessing education, working, and participating in public life.
Yasmine Sherif, the executive director of Education Cannot Wait, expressed concern over the growing impact of these restrictions: “Today, 1.5 million Afghan girls are banned from secondary school, and every year, 300,000 more are added to that number. If these bans continue, this figure will soon reach millions.”
Sherif emphasized the long-term consequences of these restrictions, which prevent girls from pursuing careers in vital fields such as medicine, law, education, and nursing.
The situation has also exposed increasing internal divisions within the Taliban leadership over policies, including those on education. “These rifts were always present but hidden. Now, they are becoming too wide to conceal,” Sherif noted. Some members of the Taliban have even fled the country due to these internal conflicts.
Despite these oppressive measures, Afghan women and girls have shown resilience. A Kabul resident remarked, “They may have taken away our education and jobs, but they can’t stop our fight.” Women’s rights activists have described the Taliban’s actions as gender apartheid and institutionalized discrimination.
“We are not victims. We are the leaders of this revolution,” stated Hoda Khamosh, a women’s rights advocate. “We will continue to protest against these oppressive and misogynistic laws.”
Under the Taliban’s rule, the future of girls’ education in Afghanistan remains uncertain, as each passing day sees a new generation deprived of their basic right to learn.
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