5 years after Taliban takeover, 2.4 mn Afghan girls still excluded from school: Unesco

Five years have passed since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, yet an estimated 2.4 million girls are still denied access to secondary education, according to a report by Unesco. The United Nations educational organization emphasized that Afghanistan remains the sole nation where girls and women are legally barred from secondary and higher education, labeling the ongoing exclusion as a severe violation of their basic rights.

Hoda Jaberian, Unesco's program coordinator for education in emergencies, warned that five years equate to nearly an entire secondary-school cycle and urged the immediate lifting of these restrictions without preconditions.

The Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces after two decades of conflict. In the immediate aftermath, the group prohibited girls from attending secondary schools and subsequently extended these restrictions to universities and other facets of public life. Despite appeals from the UN, humanitarian organizations, human-rights groups, and several Islamic nations, the Taliban has persisted in enforcing these bans while claiming the matter is an internal concern.

The restrictions have undone much of the progress Afghanistan made in girls' education over the past two decades. In 2001, girls faced significant barriers to schooling, but by 2021, nearly 1 million girls were enrolled in secondary education. Unesco has maintained support for community-based education, literacy, and skills programs as alternative avenues for learning.

These classes take place in community facilities and, in certain instances, within the homes of literacy facilitators, all with the approval of local authorities. The agency reported having over 1,000 literacy facilitators, primarily trained by Unesco and its partners.

Jaberian affirmed that Unesco would persist in collaborating with communities to safeguard educational opportunities while the restrictions are in place, arguing that Afghan learners cannot simply be left behind due to the denial of formal schooling.