About 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been excluded from secondary education since 2021, UNESCO said Tuesday, warning that the prolonged restrictions are deepening the country’s education crisis and threatening its future workforce.
The warning comes ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are formally barred from secondary and higher education, according to UNESCO.
Women have also been excluded from universities since 2022 and face sweeping restrictions on employment and participation in public life.
UNESCO warned that the consequences could extend well beyond the current generation. It estimates that restrictions on women’s education and employment could result in 600,000 fewer women in Afghanistan’s workforce by 2066 and cumulative income losses of about $9.6 billion. The agency also warned that prolonged exclusion from education could increase the risk of early marriage.
The restrictions are also worsening Afghanistan’s shortage of qualified female teachers. UNESCO estimates the country could face a deficit of more than 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.
Hoda Jaberian, UNESCO’s coordinator for education in emergencies, said many teachers had left Afghanistan while others who remained had been prevented from continuing to teach.
“Many teachers have left the country, and those who remained in the education system have been prevented from continuing to teach,” Jaberian said at a news briefing.
She said restrictions on women teaching boys had further reduced the number of qualified educators available to schools, leaving some students without teachers or being taught by male teachers who lack adequate qualifications.
The crisis extends beyond girls’ exclusion from secondary and higher education. UNESCO said more than 2 million primary-school-age children are out of school for reasons unrelated to the restrictions on girls and women.
Learning outcomes are also severely weak. More than 90% of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan cannot read and understand a simple text, while the country’s literacy rate stands at about 37%, UNESCO said.
The agency said the figures reflect a broader crisis involving access to education, gender equality and the quality of learning.
UNESCO warned that continued restrictions on girls’ education will reduce the number of women entering skilled professions, including teaching and healthcare, further weakening Afghanistan’s human capital and its capacity to provide essential services.
The Taliban first banned girls above sixth grade from secondary school after returning to power in August 2021 and later barred women from universities. Despite widespread international criticism and repeated calls for the restrictions to be reversed, the policies remain in place.
UNESCO said sustained international support for education remains essential, while calling for girls and women to regain access to secondary and higher education.
The agency warned that what began as an education restriction has become a long-term structural crisis with consequences for Afghanistan’s workforce, economy and development.
