At least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, according to UNESCO.
This represents an increase of 300,000 since the previous count carried out by the UN agency in April 2023.
“The future of an entire generation is now in jeopardy,” UNESCO said in a statement. “In just three years, the de facto authorities have almost wiped out two decades of steady progress for education in Afghanistan.”
The Taliban administration has imposed restrictions on women that the UN has described as “gender apartheid.” Afghanistan is the only country in the world to stop girls and women attending secondary schools and universities.
“As a result of bans imposed by the de facto authorities, at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since 2021,” UNESCO said.
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UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay urged the international community to remain mobilized “to obtain the unconditional reopening of schools and universities to Afghan girls and women.”
The number of primary pupils has also fallen, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school. UNESCO blamed the drop on the authorities’ decision to ban female teachers from teaching boys and the lack of incentive for parents to send children to school.
Enrollment in higher education is equally concerning, with a 53% decrease in university students since 2021. “As a result, the country will rapidly face a shortage of graduates trained for the most highly-skilled jobs, which will only exacerbate development problems,” UNESCO said.
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